Who's Your Man
by CloudKitsune17
Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation? YAOI MPREG WARNING
1. The Secret's Out!

**Who's Your Man?**

-----  
Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, hint of Kenji x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?  
----- 

Chapter 1  
The Secret's Out!

Pallet Town seemed to glow in the morning's sun. It was a small and quiet town, even with the famous Professor Yukinari Okido as a living resident. But despites in peaceful and boring outlook, Satoshi was proud to call it his home.

"Home sweet home..." Satoshi spoke softly to himself, taking a strong whiff of the fresh air that the largest cities lacked. The small yellow mouse that was on his shoulder gave a cheery 'pi,' bobbing her head in agreement.

"So, Satoshi, where are we heading first?" Kasumi, the feisty redhead, questioned, holding Togepi, a creature living in its own shelf, to her chest.

"Well, I suppose I should stop by Professor Okido's first," the raven haired boy thought aloud, cocking his head to the side slightly, jostling Pikachu a bit. "Then we can visit my mom and relax for the rest of the day there."

"Sounds good," Takeshi nodded, grinning proudly as he watched the quiet town happily.

"Lets go, Pikachu," Satoshi laughed, before rushing down the small hillside to head for the large lab, Pikachu jumping off his shoulder to happily run at his side. Kasumi and Takeshi gave an amused chuckle at their younger friend's childish behavior, before following after the two.

--

A small brown fox trotted about the large lab, entering and exiting room after room. From the back of the building, which opened up to the even larger open field for all the pokémon there to run freely, Eevee took to notice how lab-like it was inside, until a few rooms to the front, which opened to a more homey living room. Trotting happily over to a clean white couch, the little fox wiggled his behind before jumping up onto the couch, stumbling slightly as it made the rest of the way to plop on the lap of his beloved owner and partner.

"There you are, Eevee," the kind voice was followed by a caressing hand, rubbing behind his long ear pleasingly. Giving a happy 'ee!' in response of the attention, his owner gave a laugh as he asked, "Did you have fun outside with the others?"

The Eevee bobbed his head in agreement, chirping another happy 'ee!' before curling himself up into his owner's lap, ready for a nice, long nap. His owner gave another affectionate laugh, hand still petting him soothingly.

As the little fox fell into a light snooze, Shigeru Okido gave a soft sigh, closing his milk chocolate eyes as he leaned back, relaxing himself. It was hard to believe he had been staying in this boring town for so long. Day after day, month after month, Shigeru had been doing absolutely nothing. Sure, he had done some training with his pokémon, but even that had become boring without other trainers to battle with, and it didn't help with his gramps and assistant worrying over him daily didn't help either.

"Even when I'm relaxing I never get a break..." Shigeru huffed irritably, reopening his eyes to glare up at the ceiling displeasingly.

Suddenly, the slam of the lab's front doors being opened entered the young Okido's ears, alerting him to new visitors. A small smile curled his lips at the thought of someone new to meet and give entertainment to a regular day, but it soon turned into a deep frown as the voice of the owner shouted happily in greeting.

"Professor! Its me, Satoshi!"

"Ee?" Eevee chirped, head rising to the new voice, ears standing tall at attention. Before he was able to move any further, his owner's hand gripped onto his white, fluffy mane, halting him without words.

"Ignore them," Shigeru ordered, eyes closed and nose turned high in a defiant stance without moving from his seat, "Gramps will take care of them."

Unable to do anything but sit, Eevee let out a tired sigh, ears drooping slightly. Sometimes his master was just so hard to understand...

--

"Professor! Hellooo!" Satoshi called through his cupped hands, his Pikachu mimicking his actions in her own pokémon language at his feet.

"Maybe he's out at the moment, Satoshi," Takeshi spoke wisely, folding his arms over his chest in thought.

"Takeshi's right," Kasumi nodded, cradling her Tokepi close to her chest, "Professor Okido is a very busy man, after all."

"I guess you're right..." Satoshi huffed, arms dropping to his side as his shoulders slouched in defeat.

About to mimic her friend, a sudden smell entered Pikachu's nose. Ears perking up, she gave a happy 'pika!' before trotting off further into the lab, getting the attention of the three humans.

"Hey, Pikachu!" the raven haired trainer called after his yellow mouse, quick to follow her as he shouted, "Where you going?!"

"Satoshi, wait a minute!" Kasumi called irritably, frowning as she followed after her younger friend, Tokepi chirping happily in her arms. Takeshi could only shake his head, jogging after the two, curious to where Pikachu was heading himself.

As Pikachu entered a more homey room, she came to a halt, sitting up on her hind legs, taking in her surroundings. There was a large window to the side of the room, letting in the morning's sunlight, filling the room nicely. A big rug filled the center of the room, covering most of the hard wooden floor. Over the rug, sat two couches, one a clean white and the other a satin black, and in between both couches rested a glass coffee table. Pictures, from Okido's family and friends to pokémon covered the walls, along with a few bookshelves filled with books on pokémon lined the walls, giving it a more 'lived in' feel.

As her brown eyes moved around the room, Pikachu finally found the owner of the scent she had smelt not long ago, finding a familiar brunette sitting in the white couch, along with an Eevee who gave a soft 'ee!' in acknowledgement of the yellow mouse. Before she could respond with even a peep, the sound of her friend entering the room behind her pulled her attention away from the two, looking up at Satoshi with a cheerful smile and wave.

"Pikachu, why'd you run.. off.. like.. that..?" Satoshi started to ask, before his deep brown eyes rose up to meet the back of a familiar head of brown locks. Ignoring the entrance of his two friends behind him, who were instead greeted by an oblivious Pikachu, Satoshi walked further into the room, circling the clean white couch to get a better look at the one who gave him no sign of knowing he was there. "Shigeru..? What are you doing here?"

Shigeru finally opened his eyes in a flash, giving Satoshi a hard glare, shocking the raven haired boy enough to step back a step. "What do you mean, 'what am I doing here'?" the brunette snapped, before his voice turned to a more taunting tone as he calmly spoke, "This is my gramp's lab, so its also my home of sorts. The real question is, what are YOU doing here?"

"I--uh," Satoshi stuttered, not sure if he should feel angered or surprised, so settled for annoyed as he huffily responded, "I'm here to see Professor Okido! Where is he?"

"Out back," Shigeru replied simply, raising a hand to point in the direction of the other door Kasumi and Takeshi weren't standing in.

"Out back?" Satoshi repeated, anger gone as he blinked cluelessly over to where Shigeru pointed.

"That's right," Shigeru nodded, settling back in his seat, petting his Eevee as he did. "Now run along and go bother him. I'm not in the mood for you and your friends right now."

"H-hey! You could at least be nice about it!" Satoshi snapped, forgetting about seeing Professor Okido in exchange to bicker with his childhood rival instead.

"Listen, I'm not in the mood to play games with you," Shigeru snapped, glaring at the raven haired boy harshly, sending a shiver down Satoshi's spine, "So just leave me alone."

"Come on, Satoshi," Kasumi tried to reason, stepping away from the door to stand closer to her friend's side, "Its Professor Okido you want to see, not his grandson. Lets go find him, okay?"

"Kasumi's right, Satoshi," Takeshi nodded, already heading towards the other door Shigeru had pointed to, "Lets go already, guys."

"..." Satoshi stood his ground, fists clenching at his side in frustration. Keeping his deep brown eyes locked onto Shigeru's milk chocolate, Satoshi almost didn't notice Pikachu as she trotted over to his feet, tugging on his pants legs as she let out a 'pika pi!'

"Listen to your friends," Shigeru sneered, folding his arms over his chest, head turned to the side, irritating Satoshi even more.

Satoshi nearly growled, bearing his teeth as he shouted a loud, irritable, "Shigerruuu!!!!"

"SATOSHI! That's enough!"

Surprised, all three teens turned to see who the new voice belonged to, their eyes resting upon Kenji, sketch pad resting loosely in on hand, the other placed firmly on his hip. The dark haired man frowned at Satoshi, clucking his tongue as he entered the room, lecturing Satoshi as he went, "I know you two have a reputation for arguing, but right now isn't the time for it. Please leave Shigeru alone, alright?"

"K-Kenji, what--" before Satoshi could finish, Kenji lightly pushed his raven haired friend away from the brunette, directing the boy in the direction of Takeshi. "H-hey, what's the big deal?!"

"Ah, Satoshi, hello," Professor Okido's elderly voice filled the room from behind Takeshi, entering the room with a cheerful smile on his face.

"Oh, Professor Okido, how are you?" Takeshi replied kindly, stepping out of the old man's way.

"Just fine, thank you, Takeshi," Professor Okido chuckled friendly, before turning his attention back over to the three boys in the middle of the room. "Oh, good morning, Shigeru. I didn't know you came in to visit today."

"Don't get me wrong, Gramps," Shigeru huffed, clearly annoyed now, "I didn't come here to visit you. I'm here to see Eevee."

"Haha, I see, I see," Professor Okido laughed off, beaming with unknown pride. "If you keep this up, you'll be more then ready for the upcoming child, I'm certain."

"Wait..." Kasumi gasped, blue eyes wide in shock.

"What..?" Takeshi gaped, shoulders rising, stiff.

"Ch-child..?!" Satoshi finished, stepping back in shock, ignoring Pikachu as she jumped onto his shoulder, ears flicking as she chirped a curious 'pika pi, pikachu?'

"...Thanks a lot, Gramps..." Shigeru grumbled, glaring at his grandfather in a less violent stare as he had shot at Satoshi, lips ejected almost in a pout.

"Oh, whoops," the Professor laughed weakly, waving one hand in a defensive way while the other scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, "I guess the secrets out..."

"Professor..." Kenji deflated, chuckling nervously.

-----

_**tsuzuku...**_


	2. Shigeru is WHAT?

**Who's Your Man?**

-----  
Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, hint of Kenji x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?  
----- 

Chapter 2  
Shigeru Is WHAT?!

After an uncomfortable silence, Professor Yukinari Okido finally guided the three teenagers deeper into his laboratory, Kenji staying behind with a rather frustrated Shigeru. As Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi made themselves comfortable, and Professor Okido handed each of them a cup of tea, the pokémon researcher finally settled down himself, letting out a large, tired sigh.

"So, Professor..." Takeshi spoke first, breaking the silence that settled over the four, "What's this about a child..?"

"Ya, I'm curious myself," Kasumi agreed, bouncing Tokepi on her lap, who giggled in a happy purr, "Did Shigeru get someone pregnant?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Professor Okido waved off with a laugh.

"Then what's up with this child thing?" Satoshi questioned, annoyed.

"Ah, well..." sighing, the Professor slumped his shoulders in defeat, massaging his temples as he tried his best to explain, "Its a delicate situation, really... Not to mention very rare. But you see, Shigeru is a very special boy."

"Ya, right..." Satoshi grumbled, disbelieving.

"Satoshi, behave!" Kasumi scolded, shooting her friend an annoyed glare.

"Don't tell me what you're saying is that Shigeru is able to..." Takeshi spoke, breaking the possible fight up before it could begin.

"You've guessed it, Takeshi," Professor Okido nodded, frowning a bit as he finished, "Shigeru is able to conceive, and is currently pregnant as we speak."

"Wait... SHIGERU is--is..." Satoshi stuttered, utterly shocked beyond believe.

"That's right, Satoshi," the Professor nodded happily, seeming to be oblivious to Satoshi's displeasure, "Shigeru is pregnant."

"Bu-but..." Satoshi tried to say, but Takeshi interrupted his weak stutterings.

"I've read about it in a book once, while I was trying to learn more about breeding pokémon," the dark haired man started, "One day I accidentally came upon a book on people, instead of pokémon, but the topic was too interesting to ignore. Apparently, there are some men who are able to carry child like a woman, but its VERY rare... To think, Shigeru Okido, is one of those unique men..."

"Its shocking, but..." Kasumi started, before beaming charmingly as she nearly squealed, "Shigeru is going to have a baby? That sounds so cute!"

"More like a nightmare if you ask me," Satoshi grumbled, glaring at his cup of tea stubbornly.

"Satoshi, be nice!" Kasumi scolded, leaning in close to nearly hiss into Satoshi's ear, "I think Shigeru would make a great parent! Sure he treats you terribly, but its obvious to anyone who looks at his pokémon, he's very kind to those he likes and cares for." Leaning away from the disgruntled teen, to once again sit up straight, the redhead gave a light pout as she suddenly wondered, "But, if Shigeru IS pregnant, then, who is the father..?"

"Oh, ya, Professor, who?" Takeshi questioned, turning his attention once again to the old man.

Sighing, Professor Okido gave a shrug, frowning deeply as he replied, "I don't know myself. One day Shigeru returned home, saying he was pregnant and refused to tell Kenji nor me who the father is. I wish he'd tell me, but I'm just proud of him for returning home after finding out what was ailing him for his first month, and being responsible enough to understand that he shouldn't be running around in his condition. Wild pokémon don't care if a human is pregnant or not, and can be a very dangerous mix."

"I'll say," Kasumi nodded, frowning at the thought.

"But... why would Shigeru do it with some guy?" Satoshi finally questioned, arching a brow in query.

"That's a good question..." Takeshi hummed, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "I mean, having all those pretty cheerleaders around him day and night, you'd think he wouldn't be interested in another guy..."

"Unless he kept those girls around him to FIND the right guy," Kasumi assumed, giggling as she continued, "Think about it. With all those pretty girls, there was bound to be one guy who wouldn't give them a second glance and ignore them all to get Shigeru's attention instead."

"I wouldn't put it past my grandson," Professor Okido laughed proudly, "He's a very smart boy. Such cunning actions are just up his alley."

"I guess..." Satoshi mumbled, glancing off to the side to lock eyes with Pikachu, who cocked her head to the side slightly, curious._ 'But that doesn't tell us who this GUY who Shigeru slept with IS...'_

--

"Are you alright? Its best if you don't get upset or stressed..."

"I'm fine, stop worrying," Shigeru sighed, leaning back into the couch, eyes closed as he tried his best to relax his nerves. As much as he hated to admit it, but Kenji was right. If Shigeru was going to go through with this pregnancy, it was best to stay calm and relaxed.

"I'm sorry," Kenji apologized quickly, bowing before Shigeru low before straightening and plopping down in the black satin couch to try and get more comfortable himself, "Its just that I worry about you as much as I respect your grandfather. Having a baby is a very delicate but amazing thing, and I want you to get through this as best as one can."

"Ya, ya, I know," Shigeru nodded, hand unconsciously running through Eevee's fluffy soft brown fur. The little fox nearly purred, tail swaying lazily behind him at the attention.

A large grin curled Kenji's lips at the scene before him, setting his sketch pad on his lap and flipping it open to a clean page. Pulling out a pencil from the spiral of the pad, the dark haired teen began his latest work, dark brown eyes glancing up and down from Shigeru and his Eevee, to his sketch pad.

Ever since Shigeru had returned to Pallet, there was a certain glow about the young Okido. Kenji had a strong feeling it had to do with the child growing inside him, but it also could be from his own growing maturity. His Eevee held the same glow, fur coat beautiful and eyes so bright... The two were the perfect combination, or at least Shigeru's training with his Eevee made them so... Either way, Kenji couldn't help but try to capture the beauty of pokémon and human friendship on a piece of paper, sealed away for all to see.

As Kenji was nearly finished, stroking faint lines here and there where Shigeru's growing baby bump was nearly hidden under his dark blue, baggy shirt, the sound of the door being urged open caught his attention. Lifting his eyes to see their new arrivals, Kenji flashed a charming smile over to the Professor and his guests in greeting.

"Welcome back, Professor," Kenji happily greeted, folding his sketch pad closed and setting it atop the glass table in between him and the other couch Shigeru sat on.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu chirped as she frolicked over to Kenji, jump onto the couch to jump atop his shoulder.

Giving the yellow mouse a laugh of affection, Kenji petted Pikachu just behind the ears, "Its good to see you, too, Pikachu."

"I see you were enjoying another moment of sketching my grandson," Professor Okido chuckled, calmly making his way over to his said grandson, who slowly opened his eyes to stare up at his grandfather. "How are you feeling today, Shigeru?"

"Just fine, thanks," Shigeru relied calmly, before glancing over towards the three teenagers in the room other then himself and Kenji. "And what are_ you_ still doing here? Go home and bother your mother for a change."

"Shigeru, please..." Professor Okido tried to ease the tension, but was too late as Satoshi took to the bait, rushing quickly over to tower over the younger Okido.

"What did you say?!" Satoshi snapped, fists clenched tightly at his side.

Smirking at the raven haired boy's displeasure, Shigeru cocked his head slightly to the side, sideways glancing at Satoshi with a leer, "You heard exactly what I said. Don't act like a dunce."

"Why you---!!!"

"Satoshi, knock it off!" both Takeshi and Kasumi cried together, before rushing over to their friend to halt him from attacking Shigeru in anger. As the two held him by either side of his arms, Kenji stood up to stand in front of Shigeru, shielding the still smirking boy.

"Satoshi, leave Shigeru alone," Kenji pleaded in a commanding tone, frowning in disappointment at his friend, "Its bad if Shigeru stresses out, and fighting is the last thing he should be doing. So please, just leave Shigeru alone for the time being."

"...For_ now_, I will," Satoshi responded stubbornly, before freeing himself from Kasumi and Takeshi's grasp. Turning towards Professor Okido, the raven haired trainer spoke, "I'll see you sometime tomorrow, Professor. Until then."

"Ah, yes," Professor Okido nodded, "I'll show you out. I hope to see you youngsters bright and early tomorrow."

"Will do, Professor!" Satoshi agreed happily, argument forgotten.

-----

_**tsuzuku...**_


	3. Tell Me Who It Is!

**Who's Your Man?**

-----

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, hint of Kenji x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

-----

Chapter 3

Tell Me Who It Is!

The next morning, Shigeru found himself in the field where the pokémon Professor Yukinari cared for, while the trainers were busy raising others, roamed freely. Leaning back against the fence that kept the pokémon bordered, Shigeru watched the clouds in the light blue sky. As the white fluff balls moved calmly through the sky, merging and expanding, the brunette felt himself at peace for that moment in time.

Taking in a deep breath of the fresh, clean air that Pallet Town held, Shigeru turned his attention from the sky to settle onto his bulge that seemed to expose itself more when he stood up then when sitting down. He rose a hand to caress the growing bump, silently wondering just how big he was going to get before the little baby would come into his life.

What would he do after having this child? Shigeru knew for a fact he couldn't continue his travel as a pokémon trainer, and following in his grandfather's steps as a researcher would be just as difficult with a baby weighing him down. It seemed his future would have to be put on hold, until the kid was old enough to take care of him or herself... And by then, Shigeru was sure they would be on their own adventure as a pokémon trainer, leaving Shigeru in Pallet Town to take over his grandfather's lab...

"How dull..." Shigeru sighed, shoulders sagging in defeat.

"What is?"

Rather surprised by the sudden voice, Shigeru quickly jerked his head up to see his childhood rival standing behind him, leaning forward on the fence he himself was leaning back against. Shooting Satoshi an annoyed glare, the brunette grumbled as he nearly pouted, "And just what do you want now?"

"Tell me who did it," Satoshi replied determinedly.

"Who did what..?" Shigeru huffed in a sigh, turning his attention to stare at the many pokémon in the distance.

"Who got you knocked up," the raven haired trainer continued, voice not once shaking.

"...I don't see how that is any of your business," Shigeru grumbled out, unconsciously tightening his grip on his dark blue shirt that covered his bulge faintly.

"I don't care if its my business or not," Satoshi replied stubbornly, leaning over the fence a bit more to reached down and tap the tip ends of Shigeru's thick brown locks with the ends of his fingers. "Tell me who did it."

"Go away, Satoshi," Shigeru bit back a shout, standing up from his spot to get out of Satoshi's reach, "You're bothering me."

"I won't go away," Satoshi stood his ground, going so far as to climb over the fence to follow Shigeru as the Okido tried to get away, "And I'll continue to bother you until you tell me who did it."

"...I'm not going to tell you who did it," Shigeru spoke in a droll tone, glancing back over his shoulder to see Satoshi, waiting for him to give it up already.

"Then I won't stop bothering you," Satoshi quickly retorted, smirking proudly at his own determination.

"You're impossible, you know that?" Shigeru snapped, whipping around to face Satoshi with a hard glare.

"And you're just stubborn when you could just get rid of me by telling me who got your pregnant!" Satoshi shot back, folding his arms a crossed his chest, standing his ground under the harsh glare.

"It won't make any difference whether I tell anyone who it was or not, so get off my back!" Shigeru shouted angrily, face turning red in frustration at the other boy's stubbornness.

"What are you talking about?!" Satoshi yelled back, "If you tell us who did it, then you won't have to do this all by yourself! Taking care of a child is gonna be hard as a single parent, right? So tell us who helped get you pregnant already!"

"And I'm telling you it doesn't matter, alright!?" Shigeru nearly roared, taking a dangerous step forward, shocking Satoshi enough to force him to step backwards, intimidated by the sudden fire within the other's milk chocolate brown eyes. "So just let it go!"

Before Satoshi could make a comeback, Shigeru had already spun on his heels and made a mad dash back to his grandfather's lab, most likely to take shelter under Kenji's protective wing. Pouting at loosing the fight, for _now_, Satoshi decided to casually follow in the brunette's footsteps, shoving his hands in his pants pockets. Just before he reached the Professor's lab, a familiar redhead came over to his side, hands clamped upon her hips as she gave him an irritable stare.

"Satoshi, leave Shigeru alone," Kasumi demanded of her stubborn friend, "I know you're trying to help, but think of Shigeru's feelings. I'm sure there is a good reason why he's not telling us who the father of his child is..."

"Oh ya?" Satoshi snapped back, not believing in her words, "Like what?"

"Well... Maybe he doesn't know that he got Shigeru pregnant?" Kasumi tried to reason, "And just maybe Shigeru is afraid to tell the one he loves such shocking and life changing news. There is a big chance his other might be a man with a weak backbone and can't settle down, even with a child on the way. Some men are scared off by such a thing."

"So you think Shigeru let some guy who was most likely sleeping with others sleep with him?" Satoshi gaped, appalled.

"Well, that also could be the case..." the redhead shied away at the topic, before getting her foot back on the ground, determined, "Just let Shigeru do his own thing. He's a smart guy, I'm sure he can handle it on his own. And at least he won't have to worry about finances."

"What do you mean?" Satoshi questioned, blinking at his friend, confused.

"When the baby comes along, silly," Kasumi giggled, blushing lightly at the thought, "With a famous Professor as his grandfather, Shigeru is more then likely going to be able to care for the child without a worry on money issues, and with a loving grandfather and Kenji watching over him--"

"Oh god!" Satoshi suddenly shouted, his hands rising to grip his wild black locks, "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier!"

"Wh-what's wrong, Satoshi?" Kasumi worried, blue eyes wide in surprise.

"Shigeru!" Satoshi gasped, waving his hand over towards the lab before them, "And Kenji! The way he's so overprotective of Shigeru and stuff! Kenji must be the father!"

"WHAT?! Don't be stupid!" Kasumi shouted in response at her friend, stomping her foot in frustration, "Don't assume like that! You have no idea if that's true or not! Kenji could just be worried for Shigeru and the baby--"

"--Ya, _his_ baby!" Satoshi interrupted stubbornly.

"Satoshi, you're being stupid!" Kasumi nearly screamed her statement, shouting loudly into the boy's ear to try and reach that tiny little thing he called a brain that rested deep inside his thick skull of a head. Watching as the raven haired boy jumped back a few inches from her, clamping both hands over his ears, one aching as the other gave a dull ring in response, the redhead smirked proudly at her work. Spinning on her heels, she started walking further out into the field, wanting to see the water type pokémon the other trainers had captured and trained as she called over her shoulder, "Now be a good boy and keep your nose out of Shigeru's business! I'm not going to warn you again!"

Satoshi remained silent as he watched his red haired friend disappear into the distance, glaring stubbornly after her with a pout. Letting his hands drop to his side, the ringing finally stopped, or at least dulled enough for the raven haired boy to ignore, Satoshi grumbled to himself, "I'm not going to stop until he tells me the truth... I _swore_ on it."

--

Kenji could almost hear his neck crack loudly as he jerked it up, attention being suddenly drawn away from the task at hand by the sharp banging of the door being violently shoved open and slammed closed. Not surprised, Kenji found himself being greeted by a rather flustered looking Shigeru, cheeks flushed and fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, shoulders tense as his milk brown eyes glared fiercely at anything in his line of vision. The pokémon artist had become used to these reactions from the young Okido ever since he returned to Pallet Town, announcing his sudden pregnancy. Though, those other times had been mild, childish frustrations, such as knocking over an object by accident or suddenly not taking a liking to his new growing bump. _This_ reaction, Kenji noted with a deep frown, was a lot stronger then the others, ruffling more of Shigeru's usually well-kept feathers then a simple accident would cause.

"Good morning, Shigeru," Kenji greeted the still very irritated teen, watching as the brunette marched past him, before plopping down on the chair on the other side of the table the pokémon artist was working. Papers, Yukinari's old and new research notes and logs, littered the usually clean table top, some in neat stacks while the majority lay strewn about messily, silently begging to be cleaned up but unable to do it itself.

"'Morning..." Shigeru nearly growled under his breath, keeping his eyes locked onto one of the neat piles to avoid looking at the charming, friendly smile Kenji was more then likely flashing his way.

Clucking his tongue, Kenji gave a thoughtful frown. It really wasn't good for Shigeru to get this stressed out, he knew, and wanted to do anything in his power to relax the Okido boy. Glancing around at what he had to work with, Kenji's face broke out into another ignored smile, beaming as he offered, "Would you like some tea? I just heated up the pot before I started to work on cleaning up..."

"I suppose," Shigeru shrugged, planting one elbow atop the table, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand, the other iddily flicking at a loosely placed page in the mildly tall pile, listening to it with a dull ear as it fluttered at being toyed with.

Ignoring the neutral response, Kenji instantly rose from his seat, nearly skipping the rest of the short distance to the oven where the kettle was set. Reaching in the cupboards for a new, clean mug, the dark haired man carefully picked up the pot, pouring the heated, herbal water into the cup before resetting it to rest on the burner. That done and over with, Kenji picked up the mug, calmly returning to the table to set it next to Shigeru's elbow, before returning to his seat once more. As much as Kenji wanted to up and ask Shigeru what was bothering him at that moment, the dark haired artist bit his lip. Turning his attention back on the job at hand, though his mind was far away from the task, Kenji let his hands shuffle the messy pile of papers about, trying to appear busy in front of the Okido boy.

After about five minutes of silence, the only sounds being of fluttering paper and the soft sips of Shigeru taking a small drink of his tea, Kenji finally decided he had waited enough. Gulping down the sudden glob that was in his throat, his dark brown eyes rose to scan over Shigeru's face. His expression now was a lot calmer, which Kenji was very pleased about, thick eyelashes drooping over milk chocolate brown eyes as they boredly watched the tea in his mug, twirling it about lightly with a tilt of his wrist. His lips were ejected a bit in a faint pout, a sheen of dark pink on it from the heat of the tea. His right cheek was still planted in the palm of his hand, a few of the fingers barely toying with a few loose strands of dark brown hair, but making it flutter a bit at the light attention. Clearing his throat, Kenji finally broke the silence.

"So... What had you so upset?"

Shigeru's dull stare flashed up to lock onto his eyes, an inner fire sparking again as the young Okido glared with sudden anger. Slamming his mug onto the table top, tea almost splashing out over the rim and threatening to stain the neat pile of papers, Shigeru grumbled, "What makes you think I was upset?"

"Oh, just a feeling," Kenji shrugged, tilting his head slightly with a charming smile, trying to appear innocently friendly, ending with a simple, "I guess."

"Whatever," Shigeru huffed, letting go of his mug to rest were it had been slammed, leaning back in his wooden chair with a noticeable slump. Glancing up at the ceiling, which was a light gray shade, much like most of the rooms of Professor Yukinari Okido's lab, Shigeru muttered more to himself then to Kenji, "I just can't get away from annoyingly questioning pests today..."

"Annoyingly questioning..?" Kenji repeated with an arched eyebrow, smile turning to a frown as his face turned to one of thoughtful. Lifting a hand to tap his chin, the dark haired man wondered aloud, "Who was asking you annoying questions..?"

"SATOSHI, you else?" Shigeru nearly roared as he jumped up from his chair, forcing it to fall backwards at the sudden force and speed. Stomping around the room, arms waving in the air in a way some might think he was trying to swat away an annoying fly, Shigeru ranted, "That idiot just can't take a hint! You can tell him again and again, but does he ever listen!? NO! He just can't get his stupidly thick mind around the fact that I'm not going to tell him who did it! At least you and grandfather understood to leave it alone, but Satoshi? He's such a--!!"

"Shigeru, calm down!" Kenji panicked, jumping from his seat just as quickly, though his chair only tittered dangerously on its back hinges, but righted itself at the last minute with a clatter. Rushing over to the raging Okido, Kenji placed both hands on the boy's shoulders from behind, turning him about to face the pokémon artist to lock dark brown eyes with milky brown. "Just calm down, Shigeru. Its really not good for you to get so upset..." Seeing the other slowly calming down, letting out rather violent puffs of air in a more angry version of a method his sister had taught him to help relax his nerves, Kenji directed Shigeru upstairs to where the spare bedrooms were, instructing, "Just relax for a while. Read a book, watch TV, take a nap... Just forget about Satoshi right now."

"Whatever..." Shigeru grumbled a final time before pushing Kenji's hands off of him, stepping forward and slamming the door to the extra room in the other's face without a care. Letting out a tired sigh, Kenji turned away from the door to stare out an open window, breathing in the fresh spring smelling breeze that drifted in calmly. As Kenji did this, he inwardly promised to himself, _'I'll deal with Satoshi myself...'_

-----

_**tsuzuku...**_


	4. Confronting The Father?

**Who's Your Man?**

-----

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, hint of Kenji x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

-----

Chapter 4

Confronting The Father?

The door slammed shut in Kenji's face, followed by the almost inaudible click of the lock being twisted, refusing to allow any unwanted guests inside of the guest room. Pleased with this, Shigeru turned his attention away from the door, glancing with little interest at the simple, but comfortable bed on the left side of the room, a book shelf full of interesting pokémon books and facts on the right side wall, an oak wood side table right next to the bed, leaning against the wall opposite to where the door was set. The floor was covered by a soft baby blue, almost white, carpet flooring, the walls a light blue and pure white striped pattern, and the window ceil, that was also placed on the wall opposite from the door, a few inches to the right of the side table, was a stark white, drapes a deeper, richer blue with light pink flowers speckled here and there on the thin fabric.

Releasing the air he didn't know he had been holding, Shigeru half ignored Kenji's earlier request to get some sleep, walking over to the window and getting comfortable as he could with little room to sit on the ceil. His forehead lightly tapped the clean glass, a soft, cool breeze making its way in to toy at the tips of his fingers, the window barely opened a crack at his hip. Milk chocolate brown eyes calmly took in all that his view granted, the open field looking far and long in the sun's ray, the grass a luscious green shade, little specks of golden brown hidden but shining lightly within the greenery. From this height, Shigeru could make out a few silhouettes of larger pokémon, a pack of tauros and ponyta, with a rapidash here and there, galloping freely to their hearts content, while other pokémon, such as snorlax, relaxed in the grass and rocky terrain which was even further ahead.

Shigeru let his eyes drop to where the fence gate was placed, attention drawn away from the trainer caught pokémon to the sound of someone opening and shutting the back door. As his milk chocolate eyes fell, he quickly locked onto Kenji's form, who was walking towards the fence and easily pushed the gate out of his way and closing it neatly behind him, making sure it was locked, incase of rebellious, newly caught pokémon, wanting to play out of their boundary. _'Where's he off to?'_ Shigeru wondered as he boredly watched Kenji make his way deeper into the open field, where the bigger pokémon frolicked. _'Oh wells,'_ he shrugged off the thought, assuming the older man just wanted to get a few more sketches in his sketch pad.

A frown came to his lips at this train of thought, remembering a certain someone who also loved to capture pokémon onto a piece of paper, much like Kenji. Subconsciously, Shigeru's hand dropped down to cup his light baby bulge, caressing it gently, almost lovingly, if it wasn't for his faraway dazed stare. _'I wonder where he is now...'_ Shigeru hummed, eyes drooping a little as he remembered that charming smile. Those blue eyes that sparked at him as he spoke. Voice light but deep, speaking such respectful words of his eevee... _'Its better this way,'_ the dark brunette shrugged off the image, turning his attention back outside to the field, Kenji long out of viewing sight.

His hand, though, refused to leave the small bump of his stomach, finding odd comfort in the touch.

--

Satoshi found himself stomping madly about in the field, keeping close to the fence as he traveled further down, farther from the Professor's impressive lab. Halting suddenly, the raven haired teen gave a frustrated growl, turning sharply towards the innocent, old wooden stake that was stabbed deep into the grassy land, giving it a fierce kick. The fence board barely budged at the force of the kick, despite its old age, but it was enough to help the rage inside his mind to ease a little. Clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides, Satoshi redirected his deep brown eyes towards the sky, leaning back so far that he fell backwards gracelessly into the tall, unkempt grass.

His eyes fell half lidded as he lazily watched the fluffy clouds slowly drift through the sky, the cool country side breeze relaxing him further, weaving through his thick, wild locks sweetly. Letting free a long drawn out sigh, Satoshi tilted his head more to the side, his vision invaded by the tall grass, rich green and stray brown mingled together peacefully with one another.

_'I still can't believe it...'_ Satoshi thought to himself, eyes slowly drooping closed as he allowed himself to rest, mulling over the rather short conversation he had with a certain brown haired Okido. He had always looked to Shigeru as the perfect rival, though his taunting and jeers did strike home more then once, hurting him deeply at the same time as pushing him to become better. Still, not once in Satoshi's life, from when they had been little to the day they started their pokémon adventure, did he ever pictured the other submitting to another. Shigeru seemed too untouchable, always teasing you to try to reach his level but keeping just a few steps ahead. So for Satoshi to imagine the other teen _allowing_ some guy, even if it _was_ Kenji, to stick it in him, and to even wind up _pregnant_ from it, was just too farfetched.

But as much as Satoshi couldn't fully get his mind to wrap around the idea, he couldn't deny it really _was_ all true. Shigeru Okido, his childhood rival that he had grown up with ever since being a toddler, was truly, very pregnant. He was going to have a child, like Satoshi's mother had him, and was planning on raising it like a true parent would. _'But...'_ Satoshi thought with a frown, nose scrunching up as a dry strand of grass tickled the under side of his nostril, _'Why is he not admitting that Kenji is the father..? Is he... Is Shigeru planning to raise the kid as a single parent?'_

The soft sound of grass being crunched under heavy footfalls broke Satoshi out of his musing, dark brown eyes sliding open as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. Spotting the figure of one of his friends, Satoshi quickly adjusted his beloved cap, pushing himself onto his feet before patting his butt of any stubborn strands of grass. Turning his full attention over to the much closer man, the raven haired pokémon trainer rose a hand in greeting, smiling as he called, "Hey, Kenji! Good morning!"

Instead of the expected friendly greeting Satoshi had thought he'd receive, he found himself being violently grabbed at, Kenji fisting the collar of his black shirt, tugging the younger boy closer as he demanded rather angrily, "Satoshi, I thought I told you to leave Shigeru alone! I know you probably don't mean to be causing any harm, but I cannot stand back and let you continue to push Shigeru over the edge! Think about the baby's well being!"

Satoshi, at first scared into silence at this new side of Kenji he had never thought he'd ever face, what with how friendly the other could be, even in the face of danger, but found his voice as soon as the word 'baby' was admitted through the older boy's lips. Just like throwing gasoline on a fire, Satoshi felt himself ignite all over again, furry he didn't understand coursing through his veins as his earlier frustration returned. Growling, the raven haired teen shoved Kenji back, forcing the other to release him before he ejected a finger at him in accusation, demanding in a loud shout, "And what about the baby?! What's it got to do with YOU? Huh?? Its because you're really the father, isn't it?!"

Kenji blinked, stupefied suddenly by Satoshi's accusations. Frowning, eyebrows furrowing, the pokémon sketch artist swatted Satoshi's pointing finger away. "What are you TALKING about?" Kenji questioned, frown deepening as he continued, "How could I possibly be the father? I would know if I was, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe you both decided to keep it secret," Satoshi gave a shrug, adding with a frown of his own, "Though I don't understand _why_ you would do that. Unless Professor Okido wouldn't appreciate you knocking up his grandson!"

"I would never touch Shigeru in such a way!" Kenji nearly screamed, or roared to be précised, fists clenching tightly as his face turned heated with a flush. What was up with Satoshi today? And just _how_ did he get the idea that it was Kenji who was responsible for Shigeru's sudden pregnancy?

"And just why should I believe you!?" Satoshi demanded with a threatening stomp, eyes glaring as he spotted the blush on Kenji's face, taking that as a hidden blush of shame at being caught red handed. Satoshi refused to give up until Kenji finally confessed, _wanting_ the other to fess up and take responsibility into his own hands. He knew what it was like, growing up without a father figure, only a mother to single handedly raise him all by oneself. And Satoshi, for some odd reason that he didn't fully understand himself, didn't want Shigeru to go through the same thing, even if the father of his child was right there, keeping quiet about the whole little affair like some dirty little secret. The thought just irked Satoshi even more, teeth grinding against each other.

"BECAUSE," Kenji stepped forward, pulling back one of his tightly clenched fists before aiming a well deserved punch in the cheek, watching Satoshi stumbled a bit before catching himself, surprise reflecting in his dark brown eyes, rage replaced by shock. Letting out a heavy breath, trying to calm his own pumping nerves, Kenji calmly spoke before he lost his chance, "I would _never_ touch Shigeru in any way, even if he begged me to. I care so much because I _respect_ his grandfather, and I respect Shigeru just as much. They're both smart and obviously share the same famous Okido blood in them, though Shigeru may not show as much interest in that line of work yet..." Closing his eyes as he felt the adrenaline leave his body, reducing it to spurts of jitters. Reopening his dark brown eyes, meeting Satoshi's now calmer ones, Kenji finished, "Besides... The one who knocked Shigeru up was out of town, as far as I can tell, how it took him a month or two to return to Pallet Town, declaring of his situation to us. Truthfully, I wish Shigeru would tell someone who the father really is, but... Satoshi, please, _please_ just let it go."

"Why should I...?" Satoshi questioned, voice calmer but still not pleased with Kenji's request in leaving the younger Okido boy alone. Raising a hand, Satoshi lightly rubbed at his abused cheek, wincing just a bit. Who knew Kenji had such a strong punch when provoked enough?

"_Satoshi_, please," Kenji groaned, rolling his eyes as he let his hand run through his dark bangs, "The stress you're causing Shigeru is really bad for him right now. It can put harm on both him _and_ his child, and I'm more then certain you don't want that, right?"

"I... I don't want to hurt him," Satoshi reluctantly agreed aloud, eyes lowering to the grassy land, where his shoes would be but were hidden instead by the tall greenery. Shoveling his foot into the ground, he added a little softer, "But... I promised him I'd find out who the father is... I don't wanna break that promise, whether he likes it or not."

Kenji couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle, shaking his head. _'Guess he'll never change...'_ he thought affectionately. Stepping forward, Kenji patted the smaller boy on the head, eyes softening with a friendly warmth that Satoshi was more used to seeing, "How about this... _After_ Shigeru gives birth and back to his full strength, you can pester him all you want. Can you handle that?"

"A little, I suppose..." Satoshi nodded, though not fully wanting to. He wanted to know the father _now_, not _later_. Whoever the father to Shigeru's child was should be there for when the baby is born, to be at Shigeru's side to comfort him in his greatest time of need. And for the Okido boy to go through it all, _alone_... Satoshi felt a sudden depression at the thought. _'I HAVE to find out who the father is... But, this time I've got to get Shigeru to confess without making him upset...'_ Satoshi thought to himself, gulping a little nervously, though, knowing Kenji would scold him again if he went out of line...

"Good," Kenji nodded to himself, pleased enough with Satoshi's simple response. Turning on his heels, the older teen started to make his way back to the lab, still needing to finish his job at cleaning up after the Professor. Stopping just a few feet away, he turned to look over his shoulder, calling, "And try to make it up to Shigeru, will you? He's going to be brooding over this for a couple days, and maybe if you apologize for being so nosy, he might let it go sooner then later." That said, Kenji continued the rest of the way back to the lab, not caring whether the younger pokémon trainer followed him or not.

Watching Kenji disappear in the distance, Satoshi gave his back a determined stare, his mind running a mile a minute as he planned ahead for his next course of action with his mission of 'finding out who the father to Shigeru's baby really is.' With a slow smile, Satoshi whispered to himself allowed, "Maybe I will..."

-----

_**tsuzuku...**_


	5. For The Best?

**Who's Your Man?**

-----

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, mystery man x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

**SIDE NOTE:** The father of Shigeru's child IS a character from the show. No fun otherwise. Also, I know Shigeru's sister is named Daisy, but I wanted to keep it more Japanese, so I would of used Sakura(how Kasumi's sister's, Daisy, Japanese name is Sakura) but I decided to use the fanfic _**Gold Rivals, Silver Friends**_ version of her name, Nanami.

-----

Chapter 5

For The Best?

It was near dusk when Shigeru found himself waking up, laying on the guest bed, having gotten a little sleepy while watching the open field outside his window. The quilt was pushed around a little underneath him, but was not used as he drifted off for a light nap, or what he had planned to be a light nap... _'Guess I was more tired then I thought...'_

Lifting himself from the comforting mattress, Shigeru idly fixed the ruffled blankets, giving the pillows a pat before finally rising to his feet. He took a quick glance out the window, spotting Professor Yukinari Okido finish feeding the pokémon their dinner for the night. A rumble of his stomach reminded him that he had yet to eat dinner, let alone lunch, Shigeru frowning as he patted his baby bulge to ease the hunger pain away. With a sigh, Shigeru turned on his heels, heading straight to the door, unlocking it, and continued on his way out of the lab all together. Nanami was probably worried sick about where Shigeru had disappeared off to, so he quickened his steps as soon as his feet stepped onto fresh grass, following the trail that led to his house he lived in with his sister for the most of his younger years.

The building was regular size, with a second floor, rising to the same exact height as every other house nearby, including Satoshi's. The wood of the house was painted a rosy shade, requested by Nanami, while the roof was a rich burgundy, almost brown. The door and window ceils, though, remained a pure white shade, as it had originally been a simple, plain white building when their parents had first bought it... Shaking off the thought of his late parents, Shigeru turned his attention to the door knob, palming the cool object to twist it around, hearing the faint click as it opened. Pushing the door aside, the dark brunette let himself in, calling out, "I'm home!" as he shut the door behind him.

"Welcome home, Shigeru-chan," Nanami called from the kitchen, poking her head out of the doorway as soon as Shigeru entered the living room, smiling sweetly as she stated, "Dinner is nearly finished. Oh, and I hope you don't mind if we have a guest tonight."

"And who would that be?" Shigeru asked stubbornly, crossing his arms as he glared suspiciously at his older sister. He had already had to deal with Satoshi that day, and was hoping for a peaceful dinner with his sister and a restful night sleep in the comfort of his own bedroom.

"That would be me," the deep voice was the last thing Shigeru had expected, eyes widening as Takeshi popped his head above his sister's from inside the kitchen, grin silly stupid, a blush on his dark tanned skin. "I ran into your lovely sister while she was shopping, and I just insisted on helping her out"

"Seriously," Nanami giggled with a roll of her light brown eyes, before giving Takeshi a side glance, "He wouldn't take no for an answer. I had to say yes to get him to stop begging and openly _flirting_ with me."

"Whatever," Shigeru sighed once the shock left him, eyes drooping boredly as his arms fell defenselessly to his sides, "Just hurry it up. I'm starved."

"Right away, baby bro" Nanami called affectionately, yet with a teasing hint, before rushing back into the kitchen, Takeshi remaining there for a few more seconds before snapping out of his giggly daze, blushing darker in embarrassment at being stared at so blatantly by Shigeru, who refused to move from his spot, watching the older man make a fool of himself.

As Takeshi disappeared into the kitchen to help his older sister, Shigeru let loose a tired sigh, raising a hand to message a growing headache. _'Oh well...'_ Shigeru tried to reason with himself, _'At least its not Satoshi being a bigger pest then he already is...'_

--

Shigeru woke up the next morning, trapped inside a cocoon that made up his bed sheets and blankets. Groaning in discomfort at the sunshine beaming through his window, Shigeru lifted a tired arm to place it over his eyes, wanting to get in at least a couple more hours of sleep before being forced to join the living. He let his milk chocolate eyes droop closed for a few minutes, feeling the sun's raise begin to burn his protective arm to the point his body was feeling uncomfortable under the heat. "Damnit..." Shigeru groaned once more before letting out a sigh of defeat, wiggling out from his makeshift cocoon and sliding off the mattress all together.

Yawning, the young Okido let his arms stretch out above his head, bending his back as he did until he heard a faint pop. Smiling at the tingle of pleasure that ran up his spine, Shigeru moved to stand next to his dresser, pulling out a clean pair of pants and baggy shirt that would help hide his baby bump. Only his grandfather, sister, and Kenji knew of his situation, so it was best to keep the rest of the small town civilians in the dark, until it was impossible to keep secret, at least. _'Then again,'_ Shigeru thought with a frown, glaring boredly at the magenta t-shirt in his hands, _'Gramps needs to learn to hold his tongue. Now Satoshi and his friends know, and he most likely already told his mother... He's got such a big mouth.'_

Huffing in annoyance, Shigeru made quick work of his pajama bottom, slipping on the dark brown jeans and magenta t-shirt. Ignoring his bed hair, for now, the brunette instead made his way out of his room and down the staircase, pausing just as he reached the bottom level as he heard the unmistakable sound of someone snoring. It didn't take long for Shigeru to spot the cause of the noise, seeing Takeshi sleeping on the couch, a spare blanket across his broad chest, keeping him warm. Nanami's singing brought Shigeru's attention away from the unwanted visitor, letting his eyes wonder to the kitchen entrance, spotting her from where he stood, fixing up breakfast. Silently he was glad that the smoky haired brunette had remained downstairs for the night, instead of being a pervert and trying to share a room with his sister, but at the same time Shigeru had to wonder why the older man chose to sleep in their house, instead of Satoshi's. Wasn't Takeshi Satoshi's friend? Or did the rock pokémon trainer just want to be in the presence of a pretty, older woman, who wasn't Satoshi's mother?

Shaking off this train of thought, Shigeru entered the kitchen instead, ignoring the snoring man who kept blurting out flirtiest words to imaginary women in his dream. Shigeru made himself at home, grabbing a chair and plopping himself in it, glancing over to stare at his sister's back as she continued working, not bothering to turn her attention to him until she was finished. She continued to hum as she scooped up the bacon and eggs onto three empty plates, taking up her free time before having to flip the pancakes.

The soft song brought back memories of his childhood, unconsciously forcing Shigeru to think of his mother, who had hummed that same tune to help him sleep, for a short nap or when he had a high fever, or even after his father had finished reading a story to help tuck him into bed for the night. They had been wonderful parents, kind and caring, reasonable and understanding. The citizens of Pallet Town had even enjoyed their company, as little as it was. Despite having two children, they had been busy with work, always having to drive out of town for a few days to finish a project of some sort. And it was on one of those days that had ended their young adult lives, leaving Professor Yukinari to take responsibility for his granddaughter and grandson.

_'I wonder, if our parents were still alive, what would they think if they found out their own son was pregnant with their niece or nephew..?'_ Shigeru wondered to himself, eyes now trained on the table top that sat before him. He gave a little start as Nanami set a plate full of eggs, bacon, and a stack of pancakes before him, blinking up at the raven haired woman with confusion. She only smiled in response, tsking teasingly as she stated.

"You have to eat more, now that you're eating for two."

"Whatever you say, sis," Shigeru rolled his eyes, his nerves calming instantly before he focused his attention on his breakfast. Just as he was taking the first bite of eggs, Shigeru heard the faint sound of sheets ruffling, followed by a disgruntled groan as Takeshi finally made his way into the kitchen.

"G'morning..." he spoke with a yawn, scratching his soot brown hair sleepily.

"Oh, good morning, Takeshi," Nanami greeted sweetly, ignoring his messy attire to appear hospital. Moving to the counter, she picked up two more plates, setting them before both spare chairs that Shigeru hadn't taken as she continued to say, "I made breakfast. I hope you'll enjoy it."

"With pleasure!" Takeshi seemed to snap awake at this, cheeks flaring pink and a big goofy grin taking over his earlier sleepy appearance. Nearly skipping his way to the table, he quickly plopped down in his chair, eagerly gobbling up the food offered to him. "This is delicious! You're very lucky to have such a nice sister who can cook such wonderful dishes."

"Its nice, I suppose," Shigeru reasoned boredly, taking a bite out of his bacon, chewing slower to savor the juicy taste, "But its not that I'm dependent on her. I can cook for myself, thanks."

Nanami giggled at this, smiling over to Takeshi's confused expression as she explained, "I taught him to cook for himself before he started his pokémon journey, incase he traveled on his own."

"Your friends were no help, either," the brunette Okido smirked, pleased with the pout that appeared on the raven haired woman's lips at the mention of her girl friends, "Their car was great, but their cooking sucked. I had to do all the camp cooking if we were far out of town and too tired to keep going on the road."

"Fine, fine..." Nanami waved off, glaring lightly at her younger brother before turning her attention back to their guest. "So, Takeshi... I don't want to be rude, but why did you decide to stay the night here?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," the rusty brown haired man perked up, giving an embarrassed grin as he turned his full attention to Shigeru, "I know you are probably sick of hearing this, but I wanted to help out at least a little with the upcoming baby of yours. I've had to raise a bunch of kids myself, though they were my younger siblings, but the point is I have experience and I'd love to give you some pointers so it'll be easier for you to deal with the real thing."

Shigeru was silent for a few moments, thinking the older man's offer carefully. From what he knew, Takeshi was a good pokémon breeder, and took very good care of Satoshi and Kasumi on their travels. So, he reasoned, it wouldn't hurt to listen to the ex-pokémon gym leader. Nodding at this, Shigeru finally spoke honestly, "That would be helpful. Thanks."

_'I suppose all of Satoshi's friends aren't so annoying after all...'_ Shigeru thought to himself, flashing a small smile over to Takeshi, Nanami giggling as the pokémon breeder became rather flustered at the affectionate glance, trying to recover his cool by putting his full attention onto the raven haired Okido's cooking.

--

"Did you remember to change your underwear, sweetie?"

"_Yes_, Mom..." Satoshi groaned under his breath as he made his way out the door of his house. His mother, Hanako, on the other hand, was making such a simple routine harder to perform, as she continued to question his well-being, as she had done since he was little. Groaning once more, Satoshi glanced over to Mr. Mime, who stood at Hanako's side, arms in the air in a stance of holding up an invisible wall.

"Are you sure you ate enough? You seem to be in such a rush..." Hanako hummed to herself worriedly, setting her palm against her cheek with a troubled expression. Mr. Mime gave his own worried glance at the younger boy, mimicking his master's emotion with a soothing, "mime."

"Mom, I'm stuffed," Satoshi tried to ease, feeling suddenly nervous at being seen through so easily. _'But then again, Mom has always been able to read me like a book...'_ the raven haired boy reminded himself with a light frown.

"You better not be planning on bugging Shigeru again," Kasumi suddenly appeared in the hallway behind Hanako and Mr. Mime, arms crossed over her chest, a glare locking onto Satoshi suspiciously.

"Stay out of my business!" Satoshi shot back stubbornly, face heating up in a blush. _'Okay, so maybe Mom isn't the only one who can see through me...'_ the pokémon trainer grumbled inside his mind, feeling more like an idiot now for being found out so easily. And he hadn't even made it out the door to head towards Professor Okido's Lab!

"Hmm? Did you two get into a fight or something?" Hanako asked, dark brown eyes blinking in confusion.

Together, Satoshi and Kasumi shouted out, words blending together but still being obviously spoken as a "Yes/No!" contradicting the other instantly. Mr. Mime arched a brow at this, while Hanako frowned lightly, wondering why neither answered equally. Unnoticed by the three humans, Pikachu and Tokepi peeked around the corner, both curiously watching the sudden argument that was flaring to start up between the raven haired and redhead pokémon trainers.

"Would you just mind your own business?!" Satoshi shouted, nearly shoving his face into Kasumi's, as she stepped up and around his mother to face him head on.

"Mind _my_ business?" Kasumi faked a shocked gasp, before jutting out an accusing finger at the raven haired boy, pushing his face back by poking at the tip of his nose, "Why don't you mind your _own_ business!? Professor Okido and Kenji has already told us to not bother Shigeru while he's... _you know_," the redhead whispered the last bit, side glancing over her shoulder at the still baffled Hanako, not wanting to let out more of the secret of Shigeru's condition. Clearing her throat, trying to appear natural, Kasumi continued just as strongly, "If you're going to play outside, stay away from Shigeru, you hear? I don't wanna hear that you upset Shigeru again."

"I'm not, okay!?" Satoshi yelled, frustrated and feeling extremely tired with everyone telling him what to do. He was a big boy now, a teenager at that, and he was allowed to make his own decisions without being scolded like a child for stealing a cookie before dinner time. Huffing, shoulders tense, the pokémon trainer turned on his heels, marching out of the house without looking back, even as Pikachu called out with a loud "pika pi!" before the yellow rodent bounded off to catch up with her master.

"What was that about?" Hanako asked more towards her own pokémon then to Kasumi, who was still glaring after her son, arms now placed firmly on her hips. Shrugging, the physic pokémon could only wonder himself, frowning for a few seconds before turning on a smile, chirping "Mr. Mime!" as he directed his master outside as well, grabbing her gardening tools and wear gear to help keep her mind off the odd conversation earlier.

--

"Stupid Kasumi, not knowing when to keep her nose out of my personal business..." Satoshi grumbled aloud as he continued to march down the trail that lead down to the lake, that connected, if riding a water pokémon, boat, or just by simple swimming, to the ocean. Pikachu silently frolicked after him, chirping with a soft "pi" here and there, trying to lighten her master's sullen mood.

"Besides..." he continued, turning his dark brown eyes up towards the clear sky, which was a beautiful baby blue, "I'm only wondering what everyone else is... After all, no one can get pregnant from just standing around doing nothing."

"Pikachu..?" the yellow, electric mouse questioned, stopping just a few feet away from Satoshi as he came to a halt, giving the dirt trail a light kick, the dust lifting into the air before floating innocently down, returning to where it belonged, unharmed.

"I just don't get it..." Satoshi sighed, shoulders slumping with the exhale of air, as if the simple action deflated his entire body. Turning questioning eyes towards his companion, who's ears perked up at the sudden attention, he continued, "How can Shigeru do that... with another _guy_? I always pictured him growing up single or something, never recalling taking any interest in getting married to a nice, pretty woman and having a big family. Nanami, though... She seems like the family type."

"Chuu..." Pikachu hummed, ears drooping a little against her scull.

"Stupid Shigeru... He should just tell us who the father of his baby is already," the raven haired boy huffed again, frowning deeply, trying to picture what the man might look like. _'What was Shigeru interested in? He obviously wasn't interested in the pretty, delicate type, or he would of just fell in love with a woman. Maybe he liked the big, buff manly type? Someone like Takeshi...?'_ Satoshi shuddered at the thought of the two cuddled up together, wanting to erase the image out of his head as soon as it set root. Shaking his head violently, as if to expel the image, Satoshi let loose another defeated sigh, "I just don't get it..."

"Don't get what?"

Jerking his head up with a crack of his neck, Satoshi winced as he found himself face to face with the object of his attention. Shigeru Okido stood on the opposite dirt trail, walking in the same direction of the lake, having planned to relax in the sun and cool, soothing breeze. Frowning, Satoshi crossed his arms, pouting stubbornly as he grumbled, "Its none of your business..."

"Whatever," Shigeru shrugged, before walking past the other trainer, as if he had never even seen him, let alone _spoke_ a word towards the other.

Glaring at the other's back, as he continued to walk away, Satoshi made quick work of closing the distance between the two, faintly hearing Pikachu quicken her own steps to keep up with the two boys. The three remained silent until they reached the edge of the town, the deep blue water of their lake rippling lightly in the wind, mimicking tiny waves that one would see naturally deeper into the open sea. Still blatantly ignoring Satoshi, Shigeru let himself sit upon the fresh grass near the edge of the lake, laying back further while using his arms, folded behind his head, as makeshift pillows. Copying his stance, Satoshi plopped down to simply sit, drawing his legs up to his chest and set his chin between his knees.

"I still wanna know who the father is..." Satoshi announce suddenly, side glancing at Shigeru's relaxed form.

"I know," Shigeru responded easily, eyes shut, looking as if he was peacefully asleep.

"So why won't you tell anyone?" the raven haired trainer continued to gently urge, not wanting to give up just yet.

"Because," Shigeru let out a tired sigh, a small frown on his lips in annoyance, "Its for the best."

"_For the best_?!" Satoshi repeated, shocked by such a simple reason. "How is keeping silent on who got you knocked up for the best?! Just tell me already!"

"You wouldn't understand," Shigeru growled through clenched teeth, eyebrows furrowing but remaining to appear relaxed to a passerby.

"Of course I wouldn't," Satoshi snapped back, glaring at the brunette Okido, "Because you won't _tell_ anyone anything!"

Sitting up with almost lightning speed, shocking Satoshi to jump an inch in his spot on the ground, Shigeru yelled, "I've told everyone enough! So why don't you just accept it and go on with your life and just _stop bugging me about it_!!"

"Because I promised I wouldn't stop until you _told me who knocked you up_!!" Satoshi shouted back, leaning in closer to face the dark brown haired boy head on.

"You really wanna know who did it THAT badly?!" Shigeru hissed under his breath, leaning in as well to show he wasn't a pushover.

"Yes, I do!" Satoshi yelled so loud that Shigeru almost pulled back, Pikachu lifting her paws up to her ears in a cute way to cover them, protecting the long ears from the loud volume of her owner's voice.

"FINE! It was--"

-----

_**tsuzuku...**_


	6. Give Me A Hint!

**Who's Your Man?**

-----

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, mystery man x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

-----

Chapter 6

Give Me A Hint!

"--Someone you wouldn't know."

Satoshi and Pikachu nearly fell over at the sudden, and not at all expected, answer from the Okido boy. Feeling a blush pink his cheeks in embarrassment at being made a fool of, Satoshi tried to speak calmly as his body quaked with inner rage, "Shigeru... you... You're calling me an idiot... aren't you..."

Hearing the stating under tone in Satoshi's trembling voice, Shigeru gave an amused smirk, his own frustration evaporating to pleasure at the thought of pulling one over on his childhood friend. Humming innocently, Shigeru put on the aura as if he had done nothing at all, almost sweetly asking, "What ever do you mean?"

"You just said!" Satoshi shouted, before calming himself with a few seconds of counting backwards in his head, biting his tongue until he was sure he wasn't going to blow up again, "You just said, that it was someone I wouldn't know..."

"That's right," Shigeru nodded, remaining uninterested in this conversation, but responding nonetheless.

"Are you calling me stupid?"

Blinking, Shigeru turned his attention towards the raven haired pokémon trainer, expression blank and unsettling Satoshi a little. Gulping down a sudden clog in his throat, Satoshi remained silent, locking his dark brown eyes with the other's milk chocolate. It felt like forever before the young Okido finally responded, calmly, and almost painstakingly slow, replying, "No... Not really. You are thick headed, brash, and extremely stubborn to the point of _appearing_ stupid... But, that's just how you are."

Satoshi wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or insulted. Frowning lightly and arching an eyebrow in silent query, Satoshi turned his attention to his partner, receiving a questioning "pi?" when noticed. Sighing, he returned his glance up to the other boy, silently watching the other, as if trying to see through the Okido, like Kasumi and his mother did to him. After a few drawn out minutes of nothing but silence, the raven haired trainer finally gave up, shoulders drooping in defeat as he whined, "Oh, c'mon, Shigeru..."

"What?" Shigeru lightly sniped in reply, eyes half lidded in a bored expression, unimpressed by the others' whining.

"Just give me a hint," Satoshi nearly begged, trying his best to give Shigeru puppy-dog eyes, forcing fake tears for added effect. _'And just for good measure...'_ he thought to himself with an inner smirk, pouting his lips as he finished off his appearance with an innocent, "Please..?"

"Ugh... You're pathetic, Satoshi..." Shigeru groaned, rolling his eyes in disbelief. Despite his obvious negative answer, Shigeru was mildly surprised that the other didn't drop the pitiful stance, watching as Satoshi wiggled his eyes to make himself even more pathetic then he already looked. Seeing that the pokémon trainer wasn't going to let up until he agreed, Shigeru let loose an annoyed sigh, "Fine, fine... I'll give you a hint."

"YES!!!" Satoshi cheered, thrusting a fisted hand up into the air, pitiful, begging-ness now behind him and no longer needed. "So? What's he look like? What's he _like_? Is he older or younger then us? What does he _do_??"

"Hey, hey, I said I'd give you a hint," Shigeru huffed while shaking his head, "Meaning only _one_. So think your question over before asking, 'cause its the only honest answer your going to get."

"Oh, okay... Then," humming, Satoshi bluntly asked, "What's his name?"

"You--" whacking Satoshi on the back of his head, Shigeru glared at the other boy as he nearly shouted, "I said _HINT_, Satoshi! Not a freaking _answer_ to who it is!"

"Jeez, you didn't have to hit me..." Rubbing at the small bump that Satoshi was sure was going to pain him for the next couple of days, the raven haired boy finally asked, "Okay, then... What does he do for a living?"

"He liked to take pictures," Shigeru answered, holding up a hand as if holding a camera and pressing down one finger to mimic clicking the flash. Dropping his hand to rest on his baby bulge, that was invisible under the magenta t-shirt he wore, Shigeru sighed dreamily as he remembered just how good those pictures were.

"He took pictures? Of what?" Satoshi questioned, arching an eyebrow at the sky as he tried to figure out what kind of buff, manly man would enjoy taking pictures, of all things.

"I said one hint, Satoshi," the Okido boy chided the other, smirking when Satoshi shot him a disgruntled stare. "Lets just say..." Shigeru hummed as he stood up off the ground, starting to make his way back towards the center of town, "I captured his heart through his camera lens."

"Captured his heart..?" Pouting, Satoshi glared up at the sky, spotting a lone Pidgey as it flew over head, chirping loudly to find its fellow kin. Sighing, Satoshi let himself fall back, nearly squashing Pikachu who was standing behind him, but moved quickly to avoid the uncomfortable position it would of lead for both master and pokémon. "If he captured his heart... then why aren't they still together..?"

"Pika pi... pikachu..." the yellow mouse peeped back in reply, a tiny frown on her own lips as she watched her owner, not knowing what to do. Glancing up and over to where the path lead back to Pallet, spotting the silhouette of Shigeru, the pokémon wondered what she could do to make the two human's happy again.

--

"That Satoshi... He's such an idiot."

"What did he do now?"

Kasumi huffed an irritated sigh, unconsciously bouncing Togepi lightly in her arms as she leaned casually back into the table that Takeshi was hunched over, skimming over a couple thick, hardback books. Giving one of the books closer to her hip a quick once over, the redhead pursed her lips, humming out as she read aloud, "_'How To Care For Your Precious Baby, for new coming parents'_..." Glaring suspiciously at her older friend, Kasumi questioned, "Don't tell me you're going to start bothering Shigeru, too..."

"Huh?" Takeshi glanced up to meet Kasumi's emerald green eyes with his own cobalt black. It took a few silent seconds before the rusty brown haired man understood what the redhead girl was asking, almost dropping his book that he held in a fluster as Takeshi tried to defend himself. "Oh, no, no! You got it wrong!" Laughing nervously, Takeshi held up the book he was looking through, showing it to Kasumi as he explained, "You see, I stayed over at Shigeru and Nanami's house last night, and offered to help out by giving some pointers on child raising. I have been in Shigeru's position before, minus the fact that I took care of my siblings, not my children... But the point is, I got experience, and I'd like to rub it off on Shigeru so he won't struggle as much when the baby's born!"

"Oooh, I see," Kasumi nodded in understanding, smiling brightly as she praised, "That's good thinking, Takeshi!" Frowning lightly, she added more to herself then her companion, "Too bad Satoshi doesn't do anything helpful..."

"What did he do?" Takeshi asked again, arching a brow as he set his book neatly back onto the table top, placing a bookmark on the page so not to loose his place. He had a feeling this might be a much longer conversation then needed to be...

"Its not what he did, but more what he's _going_ to do," Kasumi grumbled, nose scrunching up in distaste. Clucking her tongue, the redhead began to rant, "He just won't listen! He's been warned by Kenji and the Professor, and even I had to give him a scolding, _twice_, but it just won't get through his thick skull! I wouldn't be surprised if Shigeru gave birth early with all the stress Satoshi keeps putting on him by nosing in on his business..."

"What business is he bugging him about?" the ex-pokémon gym leader questioned, feeling a bit lost now. Takeshi had been far too busy with taking care of his pokémon and trying to get Nanami's attention that he found himself falling behind in the happenings of his two friends. He knew Shigeru and Satoshi bickered here and there, and with the upcoming baby it was understandable that Professor Yukinari and Kenji would fret about his emotional welfare, but just what had Satoshi been doing to bother the young Okido even more by asking questions?

"Who got Shigeru knocked up, that's what!" Kasumi nearly roared, but held back as Togepi chirped weakly in her arms, scared at his mother's sudden anger.

Nodding in understanding, Takeshi spoke evenly, "I can understand. Even I'm a bit curious to who the lucky guy is. Whoever it is, it must of been someone impressive, to capture Shigeru's interest. I mean, with all those _pretty_ women surrounding someone like Shigeru, and him having absolutely no interest in anyone of them at _all_, has to be a damn catch."

"Ugh... Whatever," Kasumi rolled her eyes, pursing her lips as she watched her older friend swoon in his chair, blush shamelessly on his tanned cheeks as his mind pulled up each and every pretty face he remembered Shigeru's fangirls had. After Takeshi calmed down from his fantasies, Kasumi continued as if nothing happened, "But what I'm wondering is why Shigeru is keeping the father of his child a secret? I'll respect his wishes to keep it to himself, but... I couldn't imagine myself going though pregnancy without my husband at my side though the whole thing."

"Hmm, I'm worried about that myself," Takeshi announced with a frown, eyebrows furrowing as he stared at the pages of his book with concentration.

"What do you mean?"

"Right now Shigeru is fine, but later in his pregnancy he'll become a whole lot more... _needy_, I guess you can say," Takeshi started, scratching at his cheek as he said 'needy,' a light blush returning to his cheeks. Turning to lock eyes with the fiery redhead, the pokémon breeder continued, "You see, in most cases, when the pregnant woman becomes closer to the due date, her hormones become imbalanced, making her emotional, which also brings up mood swings. There are cases where the woman will start to feel bad about the size of her belly, which will expand to comadate the child, and will start to whine about being fat, which also results in her saying that she's no longer appealing to her man, or any other man, for that matter. To calm the emotional woman down, the man would then comfort her, saying she's more beautiful then ever, or something along those lines, which will end with making out, caressing, and... eheheh..." Blushing again at the shameless thoughts running through his head, Takeshi was violently interrupted this time around as Kasumi gave his poor ear a sharp tug.

"What's your point, Takeshi?" Kasumi coldly asked as she glared boredly at her friend, letting go of his now red ear when she felt he had whined in pain enough.

"Ow... My point is..." Takeshi whimpered, caressing his poor abused ear with care, feeling a tear drop in one of his eyes threatening to fall, "Shigeru doesn't have that kind of emotional support. Even with his sister, Kenji, and the Professor, he doesn't have that certain someone who'll love him, and I mean really _love_ him, that would sooth all his troubled thoughts away. And it doesn't help that not many people our age would happily settle down with someone who is having someone else's child... At our age, kids are too busy thinking about their futures, to achieve dreams that a married couple with children on the way can't succeed in."

"Takeshi, you're not suggesting...!" Kasumi gasped, holding a hand up to cover her lips as she blinked emerald green eyes down at the older man, a soft blush coating her cheeks nicely.

"Wha-what??" Takeshi questioned, feeling suddenly nervous and lost at his friend's sudden outburst.

"Are you suggesting we set Shigeru up with someone to settle down with?" Kasumi asked bluntly, looking rather appalled but oddly interested, "I can understand why, but... You have to think of Shigeru's feelings, too. What if he and the other guy broke up and Shigeru isn't over the heart break? You'll have to give him some time..."

"I know that," Takeshi sighed, running a hand through his wild locks to try and calm his nerves, "I don't know who we can get, anyways, who'll happily settle down with him. And before we even start to search, someone'll have to ask Shigeru's opinion on it... But whoever asks, has to bring it up to him gently, so he doesn't take it badly... Oh!" Giving Kasumi a rather eerie side glance, a wide grin slowly twisted his lips up as he sweetly called, "Oh, Kasumi... I have a favor to ask of you."

"Wha-what is it..?" Kasumi asked nervously, stuttering over her words as she took in the leer Takeshi was sending her way. Whatever her companion was about to request, she had the sinking feeling she was going to seriously regret it...

-----

_**tsuzuku...**_


	7. Magazine Man

**Who's Your Man?**

--

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, mystery man x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

**Author Note:** This story isn't dead, but my computer is. Thanks to a virus, I lost the half of this chapter, so I had to rewrite it and had to also wait until my uncle left so I could finally get onto the only computer that still worked in this house. Also took longer because I wasn't happy with the rewrite, so I re-rewrote it. So I'm very sorry for the delay in this chapter. I hope you're still reading and enjoy

--

Chapter 7

Magazine Man

"This is so stupid..." Kasumi mumbled under her breath as she made her way through Pallet Town, in search of a certain brunette Okido. After the discussion with her friend, Takeshi had hurriedly ushered her out of the Professor's lab, handing the fiery redhead a magazine as he did, promising to watch Togepi for her. Kasumi missed the weight of Togepi in her arms, which now held a light, but thick magazine against her breast.

Her green eyes took in the peaceful town that surrounded her, hoping to find the one Takeshi had told her to search for and get this over with. Already she had checked in with Professor Okido and Kenji, who both reported not having seen the younger Okido that morning. And even Nanami hadn't any clue as to where her brother might have wandered off after breakfast. The magazine, Kasumi faintly recalled, was one her sisters loved to look through daily. It held photos and facts, even pictures of their work if allowed, of famous and upstanding men, young and old. Kasumi was sure Professor Okido had his own page somewhere inside it, too. She remembered with a wince of her sisters squealing and blabbering about their favorite boy from looks to talent, and how Kasumi had vowed never to mimic her sisters when she was younger. Kasumi had proudly kept to said vow, but thanks to a certain skit chaser, the redhead begrudgely found herself _having_ to look through the cursed article in hopes to finding Shigeru's ideal man.

Glaring at nothing in particular, Kasumi recalled the last few words she had with Takeshi as he handed her the dreaded mag.

_"Use this to see how Shigeru likes best," Takeshi had said with a small grin, "Hopefully it'll give us some clues on his type of guys he finds most attractive. Afterwards we'll concentrate on _finding_ his dream guy, then see how Shigeru feels about being set up. Just concentrate on who he likes."_

"Easier said then done..." Kasumi let out a tired sigh, eyes drooping shut as she tried to will away an on coming headache. Really, how she put up with those two idiots she called friends she'll never know. _'And just how am I going to get Shigeru to look through a Girls' mag without him getting suspicious?'_

Faintly, the sound of light footfalls reached Kasumi's ears, willing her emerald green to open, instantly spotting the missing Okido boy she had been looking for, heading away from the river edge that signaled the borders of Pallet Town. Gulping down the nervousness that jumped to her throat at the sight of the pregnant teen, Kasumi tightened her grip on the magazine in determination, hugging it close to her pounding heart as she came up with a good enough excuse to not have Shigeru suspicious.

"H-hey, Shigeru!" Kasumi called, raising a hand to wave in greeting as the brunette came closer to speaking distance. _'Its now or never,'_ she thought as Shigeru's milk chocolate eyes rose to meet her emerald green.

"Good evening, Kasumi," Shigeru greeted with a soft nod, slowing his pace to a stop as he reached the red haired girl's side.

"I was just looking for you," Kasumi honestly said, flashing her best, forced, cheerful smile in hopes to hide her nervousness. A soft crinkling noise arose as Kasumi noticed she was gripping the magazine harshly in both hands again, quickly racking her brain. Gulping once more, she held out the mag as if it were an offering, shyly asking with fake, pitiful eyes, "I wanted your opinion... on finding the right guy for... ya know... marriage material."

Scanning over the cover of the offered magazine, Shigeru arched his brow in silent query. "'Men of Our Future...'" he read aloud, milk chocolate eyes glancing up to lock onto Kasumi's questioningly. "Why are you asking me?" Shigeru finally asked after a momentary pause.

"W-well..." Kasumi nervously began, smile shaking as she tried to answer as quickly as possible. "I, I can't really ask Takeshi, how he is so... Um, ya. And Satoshi is _out_ of the question! And, well, you have some experience with a guy, right? So I thought, maybe..."

"I can give you some pointers?" Shigeru finished for her understandingly, folding his arms across his chest.

"R-right..." Kasumi blushed, eyes falling shyly down to stare at her feet. _'That was pathetic, even for me...'_ she thought with a frown, _'He's so gonna see through me!'_

Shigeru let loose a sigh as he dropped his arms in defeat, lifting on hand to run through his brown locks as he spoke, "I guess it wouldn't hurt. What kind of guy do you have in mind?"

"R-really?" Kasumi yelped in surprise, before breaking out into a pleased smile, eyes sparkling with inner victory, "Thank you so much!" With sudden speed, Kasumi wrapped her arms around one of Shigeru's, pulling him off the dirt path and taking a seat on the soft, lush green grass. Flipping open the magazine, skipping over the older men sections, spotting a flash of a photo of Yukinaru Okido as she did, Kasumi started, "As for my type of guy... I don't really know. Just as long as they're nice, smart, good looking, and _NOT_ immature like Takeshi and Satoshi, I guess I'd happily date them."

"Ah, that nullifies most of the male population," Shigeru joked good naturely, smirking slyly. Once Kasumi stopped flipping through the pages, Shigeru leaned in closer to view the photo of the young man shown. "Lets see... Oh, Masaki Sonezaki, the man behind the Pokémon PC. He's smart and mature, and not so bad on the eyes either. He was also a nice guy when I visited him once."

"You met him, too?" Kasumi asked with interest, recalling that odd night she and her comrade experience when they had met Masaki. "He was very kind, but... A little on the odd side."

"Most geniuses are quirky," Shigeru agreed with a nod.

Just as Kasumi moved to flip to the next page, a familiar voice called, "Heey! What you guys doing?" followed quickly by the chirping of Pikachu as she frolicked over to jump onto Kasumi's shoulder.

"Hi, Pikachu!" Kasumi greeted the little electric mouse with a squeal, giving her a gentle rub behind her long ears. But as her raven haired companion stopped before the sitting pair, Kasumi gave the other a bored glare, venom dripping off her words as she calmly spoke, "Oh, its just _you_, Satoshi..."

"Hey, what's with that greeting!?" Satoshi huffed, fists resting on his hips in a defensive stance. Before Kasumi could snap back a retort, Satoshi's brown eyes caught sight of the open magazine that lay on the redhead's lap. Blinking, curious, Satoshi squatted down, snagging the mag off her lap to flip it around so he could see the photoshot right side up. "Oh wow, what's Hiroshi doing in a magazine?"

"What?" Kasumi gasped, swiping the magazine back to see for herself. Sure enough, Hiroshi was smiling right back at her in the photo. "Hiroshi must be becoming a well known pokémon trainer if he got his face in this..."

"Then I must be in there, too, right?" Satoshi eagerly asked, pointing towards himself as he smiled excitedly, reminding Shigeru of a hyper puppy, waiting to be given a juicy treat.

"I'm sorry, Satoshi," Shigeru hummed with a smile, not sounding sorry whatsoever, "But you have to be famous to get into this thing. And so far, you've only achieved earning gym badges, no major competition victories, like Hiroshi here has."

Pointedly ignoring Satoshi's expected comeback at the slight jab at his ever growing ego, Kasumi held out the magazine for Shigeru to see it clearly as she asked, "What do you think about him?"

"He's kind, relatively smart, and pretty mature for a kid his age," Shigeru listed off calmly, nodding to his own words as he did, before letting out a sigh, shaking his head as he finished, "But truthfully, he's just a Satoshi clone, and I know from experience its best to stay away from guys like him."

"Hm... I suppose you're right," Kasumi hummed with a frown, clucking her tongue as she ignored Satoshi's "Hey!"s of disagreement. Sighing, Kasumi turned to the next page, eyes blinking wide and frown curling into a cheerful smile as she chirped, "Oh, look! Its Toru, the photographer!"

"Really?" Satoshi asked, forgetting the earlier insults to openly stare at the new revealed page of the mag.

"Yep! And look," Kasumi added just as cheerfully, her index finger pointing to the page where Toru's bio was placed, "They have a photo of his recent work!"

"Wow, cool!" the raven haired trainer gasped in awe, taking in the tiny clip of an open field full of flowers, a little brown fox happily frolicking in the middle of it all.

Shigeru's eyes widen in surprise as he watched the two's reactions, blinking quickly as if trying not to miss a second of either friends' movements. "You know him?" Shigeru finally questioned aloud, disbelieve sounding in his usually confident voice.

"We've met," Satoshi nodded, smiling widely, flashing feet, as he did, before reaching out to pluck Pikachu off Kasumi's shoulder, turning her in Shigeru's direction as he explained, "Toru wanted to take a great picture of Pikachu, requested by Team Rocket in disguise."

"It was a big misunderstanding really," Kasumi agreed, bobbing her head up and down, "Those creeps misread Toru's ad, thinking he captures pokémon. But really he just took _photos_ of them."

"I... see..." Shigeru spoke slowly, milky brown eyes falling to the grass covered ground in a trance, ignoring the redhead and raven haired teens as they continued to talk of the past. Unconsciously, Shigeru's hand rose to caress his baby bulge, gently rubbing the lump beneath his clothing. Though no one took notice, Pikachu did, her long ears twitching as she chirped a soft, questioning 'pi?'

"Oh, and look at this," Kasumi happily said as she once again pointed towards the bio page, winning all three of the trainers and yellow mouse's attention, "It says here that Toru was recently spotted close to Pallet, heading away from Viridian City."

"So we might be able to see him again?" Satoshi asked excitedly. Kasumi gave an enthusiastic nod in response, smiling just as widely as her friend.

"Um, Kasumi," Shigeru suddenly spoke up, rising to his feet as he did, "I'm sorry, but can I help you some other time?"

"Is something wrong?" Kasumi asked with a frown, eye brows knotting together in sudden concern. After all, Shigeru was pregnant, so it was understandable that he was in a more delicate situation.

"I, guess I'm just a little tired from wandering about town," Shigeru shrugged, flashing the worried redhead a reassuring smile. "Nothing to concern yourself with," he added quickly, seeing that she didn't believe him.

"Well, if you insist..." Kasumi reluctantly agreed, silently watching as the brunette teen started down the path again, heading for home. As the Okido disappeared into the distance, Kasumi spoke up more to herself then her companion, "I hope he's really okay..."

"I'm sure he's just fine," Satoshi replied to her worry, sparing her a quick smile before frowning down towards his pokémon who sat now on his lap. Running his hand over her yellow furred head, receiving a purring chirp from the mouse, Satoshi added to himself silently, _'At least, I hope he's just fine...'_

–

_**tsuzuku...**_


	8. Painful Reunion

**Who's Your Man?**

--

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, Toru x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

--

Chapter 8

Painful Reunion

_-clisk-_

The camera's shutter gave out a faint click, before a silent whirl as it set itself for the next photo to be taken. A head of slightly curly brown hair popped up from behind tall grass, the camera blocking out the view of his face as he took yet another shot of the three little pidgeys that were calmly enjoying the sun's raise, pecking at the ground beneath their clawed feet for bugs to eat here and there. They weren't amazing to look at, as most trainer catch pidgeys could become under the right care and, of course, training, but something about the purity, the untouched nature of them catch Toru's attention enough to capture them on a photograph.

Lowering the camera, Toru's blue eyes took in the relaxing sight of the three pokémon as they continued on their little busy schedules, completely oblivious to how close a human was to their territory. It brought a pleased smile to his lips, wondering how others would feel to be this close to wild pokémon without the worry of being attacked.

Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping caught all the three pidgeys' attentions, brown feathers fluffing up in a defensive stance, heads held height as they tried to catch sight of the owner of the sudden noise. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, but still unnerved by the hidden presence of something nearby, the three bird pokémon took flight, soon to blend in with the clear blue sky of a perfect morning. Toru was tempted to take yet another shot of the three disappearing birds in the distance, but decided against it, curiosity taking the better of him as he wondered what had made the noise himself.

Raising from the tall grass, Toru took a look around him, slowly taking in the nearly untouched nature that surrounded him that was route 1. Though, despite the appearance of being in a faraway land, untouched by man, Toru could just make out the top of a couple roofs of buildings of a nearby town, known as Pallet Town, if he recalled correctly. Just as the pidgeys, Toru found nothing that could of made a noise of a twig snapping. Frowning, the curly haired brunette rose to his feet, his camera bouncing lightly on his hip, hanging from the strap that was wrapped around his neck securely.

Toru took one more glance around him, before he started to make his way towards the silent little town of Pallet. Though the place was small, and easily ignored by more city bound citizens, Toru knew it also held the famous Professor Yukinari Okido, as well as the impressive pokémon trainer, Satoshi, who he remembered quite well after their misunderstanding with Team Rocket and the raven's Pikachu. Toru never would of thought he'd make his way down to the little town, but secretly he was hoping to meet up with a few select people, who proudly declare that Pallet Town is their hometown. The chances, though, were highly unlikely, what with them wandering around to complete their pokémon adventures, but who knows? _'I might be lucky for once,'_ Toru thought with a grin, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.

--

Once again, Satoshi was stalking after Shigeru, much to Kasumi's great displeasure. Two days had past since Kasumi brought up the magazine to the young Okido, and over those two days, he had successfully avoided both the redhead and raven haired teens, dodging their questions with excuses of not feeling well, or just not wanting to deal with the two for now due to tiredness. Only his family, Kenji, and Takeshi were able to speak with Shigeru over this time, though even they weren't able to figure out what was bothering the younger Okido.

Takeshi and Kasumi silently watched as Satoshi, with Pikachu at his heels, followed after Shigeru, who was simply power walking around a wooden sign that signaled travelers that you had reached Pallet Town. If it wasn't for the raven haired teen following him about, it would almost look as if Shigeru was pacing, but instead appeared more like he was half heartedly trying to keep distance between the two pokémon rivals. It was an almost amusing sight, if it wasn't for Shigeru's obvious displeased expression that darkened his features.

"You can't ignore me forever, you know!" Satoshi announced in a shout, not slowing down in his mild chase after Shigeru in the least, Pikachu chirping along with each bouncing step she took to keep up with the two.

"Doesn't mean I can't _try_," Shigeru gruffed back, shooting an irritated glare over his shoulder at the raven haired pokémon trainer, before turning his glare back towards the ground at his feet, almost acting as if he had never even spoken or _looked_ at Satoshi even for a second.

Kasumi watched this continue on with a bored eye, eyes half lidded as she released a tired sigh. Really, how she put up with these boys, even she didn't know. Turning her attention to the older one of their group, Kasumi asked aloud, "When do you think he'll get tired and head for home?"

"I'm surprised he hasn't already," Takeshi answered honestly, hefting his arms up to fold across his broad chest, a deep from on his lips, eyebrows furrowed. He had been enjoying himself in the grandchildren's house of the great Professor Okido, mostly with a certain raven haired beauty, but was always shoved outside to follow Shigeru whenever he decided to take a walk about town. _'Though its understandable she's protective of her younger brother,'_ Takeshi thought with a pout, keeping a hawk-like-eye on the said boy even though his mind was miles away in his own thoughts, _'I still wish she'd give me some of her loving attention, too...'_

"SATOSHI!"

Kasumi and Takeshi's eyes snapped up over the two young teens to see where the sudden voice who had spoken, interrupting the scene before them. They were completely unaware of Shigeru and Satoshi pausing in their steps as well to take notice in the newcomer, who by now was jogging the short distance towards the small group of travelers. Pikachu's left ear gave a twitch as she watched the incoming human, a large smile curling her furry lips when she realized who it was, chirping a loud, "Pika pi, pika chuuu!"

"Hey, isn't that...?" Satoshi started off slowly, raising a hand over his eyes to shield himself from the glaring sun, as if that would help him see the other approaching newcomer better. Spotting the famous camera that swayed with each step the other took as they approached closer and closer, the lense giving off a flash as it hit the sun just right, Satoshi knew.

"It is!" Kasumi nearly squealed in delight, clasping her hands together as her green eyes sparkled happily, "Its Toru!"

Takeshi rose a hand high in a wave, calling out in response to the creamy haired brunette, "Hey! Long time no see!"

"I can say the same!" Toru gasped, finally at their sides, leaning forward with his hands on his knees as he drew in quick pants. Once he had recovered enough, Toru righted himself, standing straight as he flashed them all a brilliant smile, "I was hoping you'd be here, but how you're always on the go..." Shrugging his shoulders, he let loose a chuckled laugh, chirping, "But it looks like I got lucky this time around."

"You sure did!" Satoshi eagerly spoke, smiling broadly, excitement reflecting in his dark brown eyes at being able to meet up with an old friend from his travels. Meeting new people was always fun, but to run in with those you've already met was a real treat!

Nodding with Satoshi's words, Toru's blue eyes blinked in sudden surprise as he caught sight of another who wasn't part of the trio group. His surprise, though, quickly dropped in favor of a charming smile, stepping around the excited raven haired trainer to grasp the dark haired brunette's hand in his own, giving it a firm shake as he chirped, "Its so good to see you again, too, Shigeru!"

"Eh??" Satoshi gaped in surprise, staring at the two brunette's as he asked, "You've guys met before?"

"We've bumped into each other once," Toru nodded, answering before Shigeru could even try to open his mouth. Grinning from ear to ear, flashing teeth, Toru added a little bashfully, "He really helped me out, actually."

"Really? How so?" Kasumi asked, her head leaning to the side in curiosity.

"The idiot was wandering around the woods late at night, getting himself caught in bushes and getting scratched up all over from them, like a bunch of meowths had attacked him or something," Shigeru finally spoke with a drawl tone, eyes half lidded in a soft glare. Toru nervously chuckled at this, a hand scratching behind his head in a nervous gesture, a soft blush on his cheeks. "All I did was offer him some food and help bandage himself up."

"That's it?" Kasumi asked, sounding a little disappointed with this short story of 'how-we-met.'

"Well, not really," Shigeru sighed, rolling his eyes as he finished, "But it was suppose be. The next day he followed me into the nearest town, then we went our own ways."

"You make it sound like I was a pest to you," Toru pouted before laughing cheerfully, not at all offended.

Kasumi and Takeshi joined in with Toru's laughter, enjoying the new guest in their midst. Satoshi, on the other hand, had a suspicions expression on his features, almost pouting as he glared at Toru's hands which were still holding Shigeru's one unnecessarily. It was a little odd. According to what the two were saying, they were only together for a night and sometime in the day, before going their own ways, meaning they'd only known each other for at least a full days time. Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi had been with Toru much longer then just a day, and yet Toru still kept his distance to give everyone their respectable space. Yet here he was, groping onto Shigeru's hand like a leech, like it was completely normal!

_'But Toru couldn't be...'_ Satoshi tried to reason with himself, eyes refusing to remove themselves from where Shigeru and Toru's hands were locked together, _'He's probably just really thankful to Shigeru for helping him...'_ Growling faintly at the sudden rage he was starting to feel, the need to rip the two apart, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides, Satoshi almost missed Toru releasing Shigeru's hand on his own, blinking curiously at the Okido as he glanced him up and down.

"Hey, you look a bit different..." Toru announced suddenly, ignoring the others as they tensed up, wondering if he figured out Shigeru's secret so quickly. Humming to himself as he tried to notice what really _was_ different about the brunette teen before him, Toru's blue eyes finally locked onto the almost ignorable mound that was hiding under a baggy violet and blue striped t-shirt. A winning smile curled the creamy brunette's face once more as he snapped his fingers, using the same hand to reach out and give the small bump of Shigeru's stomach a light poke, cheering to himself for figuring it out, "You've put on some weight!"

In the background, Kasumi gasped in shock, both delicate hands raising to cover her gaping mouth as her green eyes continued to watch Toru in utter horror, while Takeshi let loose a moaning growl, slapping his own hand against his forehead at the younger teen's utter stupidity. Satoshi and Pikachu, on the other hand openly gaped, mouths wide open, at Toru, unable to believe that the famous photographer just said something so blunt, and deadly, at least towards the one who spoke it.

Shigeru's expression grew suddenly, terribly dark, a small frown curling his lips as his eyebrows furrowed deeply. Kasumi silently noted that the dark look he had carried perier to this moment, when Satoshi was chasing after him, didn't even come _close_ to _this_. Before Toru could take note of this new expression, still harmlessly chuckling as he poked at Shigeru's stomach, Shigeru threw down a sharp fist, pounding it harshly against the other brunette's cheek so hard that Toru lost his footing, almost flying to the side and landing a few feet away, dust raising into the air in light clouds before resettling itself. Before anyone else could react, Shigeru let out a deep breath through his nose, glaring down at the defeated looking photographer before turning on his heels and stomping away, body still tense with rage.

After Shigeru was far away from the small group, Satoshi let loose an impressed whistle, having a feeling that Shigeru's punch wasn't even close to the one Kenji had given him a few days ago. _'Glad it wasn't me getting hit this time,'_ Satoshi chirped to himself with a tiny grin, before forcing it to drop as Kasumi stepped forward to help Toru up onto his feet, which seemed to shake under his own weight.

"You okay?" Kasumi gently asked, dusting off some of the dirt that had taken rest on Toru's shirt. Though she was worried about Toru's mental trauma that was sure to take place, she also wanted to deck the teen for saying something so stupid. Pregnant or not, telling someone they had gotten fat was _very_ rude!

"I-I think so..." Toru blinked rapidly, staring after the retreating Okido with a baffled expression. Raising a shaky hand to run through his creamy brown locks, Toru turned his attention to the redhead before him, confused as he asked, "What did I say wrong..?"

_'You can't be serious...!'_ Kasumi wanted to shout, but instead just gave Toru a 'are you stupid!?' look, one green eye twitching. Really, how _did_ she put up with these boys..?

Satoshi frowned at Toru in his own surprise, before turning his dark brown eyes over to Takeshi, who was still muttering curses under his breath, baffled at the other's actions. It was almost as if he was berating a man for insulting one of Takeshi's brief crushes, but Satoshi decided to shake it off. Right now, he was wanting to follow after Shigeru and make sure he was alright. After all, everyone repeatedly kept reminding him how bad stress was for Shigeru...

Nodding his head in determination, Satoshi called out to Pikachu to follow before turning on his own heels and racing after the other teen, completely ignored Kasumi's shout of "Where are you going!?" or Takeshi and Toru's confused glances they shot at his retreating back. Instead, he focused on finding Shigeru, and getting the rest of the story on how Toru and he had met. Toru was far too familiar with Shigeru then he liked, and he wanted to know how and _why_ he thought it was alright, especially how Satoshi knew _one measly day_ together couldn't bring them that close to some type of friendship.

_'You better not be who I think you are,'_ Satoshi added once more in his mind, shooting a glare at the image that shot into his mind's eye.

--

_**tsuzuku...**_


	9. Capture My Heart

**Who's Your Man?**

--

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, Toru x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

--

Chapter 9

Capture My Heart

_'That stupid--idiotic--ARGH!!'_ Shigeru growled under his breath, chocolate brown eyes glaring deadly down towards the innocent yellow and pink flowers that had sprouted from a patch of green grass in the field. He still felt like striking out violently, after what _he_ had so carelessly said, the sudden need to stamp and crush those little delicate flowers growing higher and stronger the more he stared at their existence. Teeth grinding into each other painfully, Shigeru gruffed in his mind, _'If it wasn't for that stupid vow--!'_

"Shigeru!"

Snapping his attention up and away from the tiny, almost ignorable flowers, Shigeru watched with a glare as Satoshi, with his yellow mouse at his heels, ran over towards him where he leaned heavily against the old wooden fence, hands gripping painfully into the bark, wanting it to break under his finger tips. Huffing a sigh, tense shoulders suddenly sagging in defeat, Shigeru wondered, _'What does he want now?'_

"Shigeru, are you okay?" Satoshi panted, out of breath, as soon as he ran into the wooden fence, a little surprised as it shook against his weight. Either Shigeru had beaten the poor old wood to death before he had gotten there, or this section was in great need of replacement, Satoshi wasn't sure. Ignoring it for now, the raven haired trainer turned his full attention towards the dark haired brunette, giving him a good once over. Aside from the deep frown still on Shigeru's features from his previous anger burst, he looked a little more relaxed, and extremely tired, his eyes drooping lowly as if he was ready to drop then and there into unconsciousness.

Letting loose a breath of hair, causing his long bangs to sway, Shigeru replied, "I'm just fine."

"You don't look it," Satoshi noted mildly, pouting lightly when Shigeru refused to respond. Huffing, Satoshi watched Pikachu as she jumped up onto the fence, watching the two pokémon trainers with deep brown eyes in silent curiosity. The raven haired teen half consciously rose a hand and started picking at loose bark that threatened to become slivers, his mind running miles a minute as he tried to think up of the right words to say to ask the other without upsetting him and getting whacked as Toru had not long ago. Sighing, Satoshi finally decided to be blunt. "Is he the one..?"

"Who?" Shigeru snapped back, glaring at Satoshi suddenly accusingly, "And the one of what?"

"You know," Satoshi groaned, waving a hand about before pointing at Shigeru's baby bump, "Toru. Is he the one who caused that to happen?"

"...Why would I sleep with someone like _that_?" Shigeru rolled his eyes, before returning to watching the yellow and pink flowers once more, which swayed easily in the gentle, evening breeze. Grumbling, the brunette added more to himself, "He's such an idiot, really..."

"You called me an idiot but that didn't stop you from being friends with me when we were kids," Satoshi pointed out with a shrug, smirking tauntingly.

"You still _are_ an idiot, too," Shigeru returned quickly, flashing his own teasing smile before it dropped back into a tired frown.

"So..." Satoshi whistled innocently, glancing at Shigeru through the corner of his eyes as he placed his hands behind his back, putting all his weight on one leg as the other kicked lightly at the dirt at their feet. "He _is_ the real father, huh?"

"What makes you think that?" Shigeru asked, actually curious and not in a snide biting tone as before.

"Well... You said," Satoshi started, raising his hands in front of him suddenly and mimed holding a camera, as Shigeru had done days ago, "You captured his heart through the camera lens. And Toru _does_ have a camera, and you guys have met before in the past, though, I didn't know that until just NOW... Man! I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner!"

"See?" Shigeru flashed a small, teasing smile towards Satoshi's ruffled form, chuckling lightly, "You really _are_ an idiot, even to this day."

"HEY!" Satoshi huffed, his cheeks dusting pink in embarrassment. _'But on the bright side,'_ Satoshi added to himself, _'At least Shigeru is starting to act like himself more. Well, his jerky self, anyways...'_ Crossing his arms over his chest, Satoshi gave the fence before them a weak glare as he asked, "How'd it happen..?"

Shigeru went suddenly quiet, blinking towards Satoshi questioningly, expression rather blank and very hard to read. This silence lasted for a couple more uncomfortable minutes, where Satoshi started to wiggle around in his spot where he stood, not sure if he should start talking or remain quiet until the other decided to speak himself. But Satoshi's decision was finally answered as Shigeru opened his mouth.

"Guess there is no point in trying to hide it anymore," Shigeru sighed, closing his eyes as he placed his elbows onto the wooden fence, one hand hanging limply on the wooden barrier as the other rose to cradle his cheek in the palm of his hand. "How you are such a _nosy_ person, no one can keep a secret from _you_."

"HEY! You can at least _try_ not to be such a jerk all the time yourself, ya know!" Satoshi shot back with a stubborn pout.

Shigeru chuckled lightly at this, before continuing, "Whatever. But you are right, for once in your life. Toru and I..." Pausing, the Okido boy let his fingers fiddle with the loose strands of dark brown hair that fell over his features, curling it about lightly as a soft blush coated his cheeks, "...Well, I suppose you can figure it out on your own what we did."

"You made love?" Satoshi forced out with a wince, the image of the two brunettes all over each other as they did _that_ flashing in his mind's eye unpleasantly. Surprisingly, though, he wasn't disgusted by the thought as much as he thought he would be, but more so to the fact that it was _Toru_ who had touched Shigeru in such ways... Shaking his head violently left and right, as if to shake off the images, Satoshi turned his attention back towards the brunette in front of him as he spoke up again.

"I wouldn't say we made love," Shigeru explained, opening his eyes as he glanced up at the clear sky, spotting a few pidgeys in the distance flapping about in the wind. Pikachu followed his line of view, chirping when she spotted the bird pokémon cutely, as if trying to say hello without shouting, even if the others couldn't hear or respond back towards her. A small smile curled Shigeru's features as he lifted up a hand to scratch the yellow mouse behind the ears affectionately, receiving a pleased "chu!"

"Then what would you call it?" Satoshi asked, arching a brow at the other pokémon trainer who he had declared as his rival for so many years. Really, though, the raven haired teen didn't know where the other was going with this conversation. His mother had told him, when he had asked where babies came from, that they were the result of when two people _made love_. _'Is there another way to make a baby..?'_ Satoshi wondered to himself, baffled to say the least.

"What Toru and I had," Shigeru started, "Was more like a, 'I find you attractive, you find me attractive, so lets go with it!'"

"Huh?" Satoshi asked, cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy, dark brown eyes blinking cluelessly.

"We had an one night stand," Shigeru shrugged, pushing himself away from the fence to stand up straight, glancing over at Satoshi's form with a slightly irritated glare. Really, was this kid really _that_ dense? "Toru found me attractive enough to want to take my picture, and I found Toru charming in his odd quirky ways. There was no romantic interest, or happy ending fairy tail where the prince rescues his princess so the two can marry and live happily ever after. We just bumped into each other, I offered him some food, he followed me until we reached a nearby town, and we did it. Then went our separate ways, never to speak of it again."

"Shigeru!" Satoshi suddenly snapped, dense features suddenly turning fierce as he glared at his long-time rival, stepping forward to grasp Shigeru's forearms tightly and pull him closer to stare him straight in the eyes, "Why would you do something like that?! I mean, with a guy you only _just_ met? Sure Toru is a good guy, but _still_! What if it was some sick pervert or something! And now your pregnant thanks to it!"

"I didn't think a baby would be added to the mix, Satoshi!" Shigeru shot right back, face flushing in a mixture of anger and embarrassment at being lectured by the raven haired teen who was usually being lectured by himself, not the other way around. But that was always along the lines of the topic of pokémon, never something this personal. "If I'd known that I'd get pregnant from it, I wouldn't of even bothered!"

"So what if you're pregnant or not?!" Satoshi shouted into the others face, his own features heating up from the inner rage that was building and ready to erupt, hands squeezing around Shigeru's arms tighter on reflex, ignoring Shigeru wince, "You shouldn't be jumping into bed with people just 'cause you find them _charming_! You should be doing that with the one you love! You should be having that child with someone you'll be happy to spend the rest of your life with, to raise it together, as a family!"

"Like you should talk!" Shigeru suddenly lashed out, shoving the other teen back, freeing himself from Satoshi's almost iron like grip. "You were raised by your mother alone, and you came out just fine! If Hanako can raise a child by herself, as a single parent, then so can I! Toru, or any other guy for that matter, has no reason to get themselves shackled up with my predicament! I've accepted my fate, and I refuse to drag anyone else down with me."

"Shigeru..." Satoshi breathed out, eyes wide in sudden understanding. Before, as he had mentioned his mother, Satoshi was willing to continue their verbal fight, to defend Hanako and her being forced to raise her child alone because his father was a pokémon trainer and was always on the move to become the best, but still loved his wife and child very strongly, even if he wasn't there to say so himself. Shigeru, unlike his mother, who still had a loving husband somewhere over seas on his journey, didn't have such a loving relationship, if one could call it that. Sure, Toru was also traveling about, taking photos of pokémon, but he wasn't a loyal husband to Shigeru, but a physical partner who had only wanted a good time, not a lifetime commitment.

Not only that, but if Shigeru hadn't thought a baby was going to come out of this one time encounter, then Toru probably didn't know about it, either. And Shigeru was okay with keeping the photographer in the dark, for the rest of his life, as a single parent, until the day he dies? That, Satoshi found rather hard to believe. If it was Kasumi in his position, Satoshi knew she would of eagerly tied up the father and make him take responsibility right away. And Takeshi would of just as eagerly jump into the role of a soon-to-be father, if he had gotten that far with a woman of his desires. So why was Shigeru so willing to refuse Toru's help, as the father of his child, let alone not even telling the photographer of his unborn child?

Gulping down the nervous clog that suddenly appeared in his throat, Satoshi forced out, "What... What are you planning on doing, after your child is born?"

"What else can I do?" Shigeru responded back mildly, shrugging. Glancing to the side, away from Satoshi, out at the open field beyond the fence that Pikachu still sat upon, who still looked rather concerned after seeing the two trainers shouting at one another so violently, Shigeru continued, "I'll have to give up being a pokémon trainer, and put all my attention on raising the kid. I'll probably learn how to follow in Gramps' footsteps and take over the lab when I'm old enough, and be the one to hand over my kid's first pokémon when he or she decides to go on the same journey we had. I would of liked to do more traveling, maybe even doing research in ancient ruins, but that is no place for a baby. So there is no other choice but to stay in Pallet."

"But, what about Togepi?" Satoshi tried to argue, "He's a baby, but Kasumi still travels every where with the little guy."

"Togepi is a _pokémon_, Satoshi," Shigeru rolled his milky brown eyes, before fixing the other a hard stare, "Of course she's not as concerned about it getting hurt. A baby is more delicate then a baby pokémon. They don't have the same special type ability on their side to protect themselves, if they were separate from their parents. Not to mention she has you, Takeshi, and Pikachu to watch over Togepi. I don't think I can survive as a single parent, and single caretaker, out in the wild like that."

"Then... Then, travel with us!" Satoshi offered, fists clenched at his side determinedly, locking eyes with Shigeru's to show he was being completely serious. "Takeshi has a lot of experience as a big brother, so he could easily give you a hand if you ever need a break! And Kasumi... Well, she has Togepi, so she sorta knows how to deal with a baby. And I can help out, too, if Takeshi teaches me on child care!"

"Satoshi, you don't need to--"

"I'm serious, Shigeru!" Satoshi interrupted quickly, glaring slightly as his eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire. "Mom never had to give up anything like her dreams to raise me. She was happy to be a mother, even if my dad was never around to give a hand himself. But you still a future ahead of you, and you're not much older then me, either! You can't just give it all up! The Shigeru Okido I know wouldn't let something like this defeat him. He would fight, tooth and nail, to achieve his dreams!"

"Satoshi, you..." Shigeru started, eyes just as wide as Satoshi's had been, surprised by the others words. Slowly, a small smile curled the younger Okido's lips, a soft chuckle slipping past the soft lips before he finished with a large grin, "You're such an idiot."

"HEY! I'm trying to be nice here!" Satoshi barked back, puffing up his cheeks before letting the air free with a sigh. _'Oh well,'_ Satoshi thought with a smirk of his own, _'At least I got him to smile again.'_ After a moment of relaxed silence, Satoshi finally spoke up again, questioning, "So, will you journey with us?"

"...Maybe," Shigeru replied, the smile still on his features but a little softer now, eyes half lidded as he watched the clear blue sky that was slowly starting to darken as the day neared its end. "But..." he started, making Satoshi wince noticeably, fearful of being rejected, "You'll have to wait a few more months before I'll be able to follow through with your request."

"Huh?" Satoshi asked, blinking in confusion, "Why?"

"Don't be more of an idiot then you already are," Shigeru teased, before patting his baby bump to get Satoshi's attention towards it and not his face, "You're going to have to wait until this little one comes out before Gramps or Kenji will allow me to wander outside of Pallet Town."

"Oh, right," Satoshi laughed weakly, cheeks flushing as he raised a hand to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. Glancing back up from his feet to face Shigeru once more, the raven haired teen asked, "When's it due?"

"Sometime this winter season," Shigeru shrugged in response, uncaring, "So you'll probably have to wait even longer, when the snow melts and spring sets in. I'm not going to let my kid start off their life with a cold or worse."

"That long?! Really?" Satoshi asked, flabbergast. If he stayed in Pallet Town for too long, Satoshi feared he might miss out and loose his winning touch! But, then again, he didn't want to leave Shigeru behind and have the baby by himself without Satoshi there to root him on...

Suddenly, Satoshi felt a hand land with a _thwup_ against his shoulder, jarring him out of his train of thought to glance up into Shigeru's milky brown eyes. For a second, he found himself mesmerized by those twin orbs, unable to speak or even grasp his mind around a line of thought, as those rather beautiful, warm eyes stared deeply into his own dark brown willingly. But that trance was soon broken as Shigeru's taunting voice broke the silence, teasingly announcing, "You better take responsibility of me and my kid, Satoshi. Even if you're not the real father, I can tell you want to take the title, right?"

"WHAT?!" Satoshi yelled more out of shock then anger, face turning cherry red and nearly falling backwards in surprise. Gulping, feeling suddenly hot and bothered to a point he never thought was possible, the raven haired trainer nervously asked, "W-what gave you that idea..?"

"Why else would you be so determined in finding out who the father of my child is?" Shigeru reasoned simply, adding, "Its quite obvious that you're jealous. Its rather cute, now that I think about it."

"WHAT?!" Satoshi roared again, mouth widely agape, face deepening in shade, if possible. Really, what had he gotten himself into!?

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody until you're ready," Shigeru continued to tease, before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on the other's cheek, just inches away from his mouth, that still lay hanging open unattractively. Pulling back just as quickly, Shigeru gave a wave, before jogging away, calling out a quick, "G'night!"

"Wha-what...?" Satoshi repeated once more, though in a much softer, squeaky voice that he was extremely glad Shigeru was too far away to hear. Shakily, the raven haired teen rose a hand to tentatively brush against the spot where Shigeru's lips had just been, unsure what to think of it. Suddenly, he felt a tug at the end of his pants' leg, glancing down to see the questioning stare of his Pikachu as she gave him a sweet "pika pi?"

"I-I'm okay, Pikachu," Satoshi reassure with an embarrassed grin, lending out his hand as the yellow mouse jumped up to sit atop his shoulder, the opposite one that Shigeru had touched not long ago. Letting loose a nervous chuckle, a hand running through his thick, black locks, a blush taking root on his cheeks once more, Satoshi finally announced to his long time friend, "Guess its not too bad, huh, Pikachu? At least I finally got his attention. That can count as some kind of respect, right?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu chirped in a laugh, brown eyes squinting in inner joy.

Nodding, Satoshi let a large smile break out on his features, dark brown eyes sparkling in sudden excitement. _'And at least that weird lump of rage has finally disappeared!'_ Satoshi added to himself, as his mind kept flashing back to that kiss Shigeru had so easily placed on his cheek.

--

_**tsuzuku...**_


	10. I'll Do It!

**Who's Your Man?**

--

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, Toru x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

**Author Note:** Sorry for taking so long in this chapter. The first draft I wasn't happy with, so I completely rewrote it, and the beginning was good, but the second part I wasn't pleased with, so rewrote that. Then re-rewrote it again, 'cause I was still unhappy with that idea, and decided to go in a totally different direction. And even after all of that, I lost motivation, until I finally watched Master Quest on DVD, which sparked me back up again. Also looked up Shigeru's Japanese voice on youtube, which really made me happy. I didn't know Shigeru was played by the same female voice actor as Edo from FullMetal. So... Again, sorry for the delay, but at least its a long chapter!

--

Chapter 10

I'll Do It!

"...And what is _he_ doing here, Sis?" Shigeru grounded out in an eerily even tone, milk chocolate eyes slanted in an icy glare at the occupant who sat in one of the few chairs that circled the kitchen table, where dinner was already set out and ready to be consumed. Nanami glanced up from taking a bite of steak, that was greatly seasoned, to stare at her younger brother with a charming smile, completely ignoring his deadly stare. Takeshi, on the other hand, who sat next to the raven haired Okido, quickly dropped his fork and knife with a loud clatter, shoulders tensing with an uncomfortable frown.

"Oh, he insisted to wait for you to return home," Nanami giggled behind her hand, pointing at the guest that sat across from her, "He has something he wants to tell you, if you'll hear him out. Takeshi told me about what happened between you two early today, so I can understand why you might be upset with him. I'd be a little upset if someone brought up _my_ 'weight' like that."

"I don't _care_ about what he has to say," Shigeru snapped, crossing his arms over his chest as he demanded, "I want him _out_."

"But, Shigeru," Nanami started with a light frown, deep brown eyes glancing over to their guest, worried in insulting the photographer. Toru, though, didn't look dishearted in the least. Instead, the slight curly haired brunette simply placed his utensils down neatly, before pushing his chair back for he could stand and face the darker brunette teen.

"Its all right," Toru spoke up with a charming smile, raising a hand to scratch at the back of his head in slight embarrassment, "I had a feeling you might not want to see me still. I'll just give you some space, before we can talk. Is that okay with you?"

"Whatever," Shigeru huffed, turning his head to the side in a snide action to demean the other in his presence.

Standing up from her chair quickly, Nanami stepped around the table to stand at Toru's side, wrapping a hand around his arm as she offered, "You can stay at Grandfather's for the time being, Toru. He has more then enough room."

"Thank you very much," Toru nodded in agreement, letting the raven haired woman guide him around the still tense Shigeru and out the door. With one last glance at the back of the youngest Okido, the photographer called out a soft, "Goodnight." before Nanami closed the door behind her.

Neither Takeshi nor Shigeru moved for a couple seconds after the others departure, until the dark haired brunette let out an annoyed sigh. Gulping down his unease, Takeshi gave a weak lecture, "I know what Toru said really was inappropriate, but you could at least _try_ to give him a second chance..."

"Forget it," Shigeru waved off, before moving in further to take a seat across from the rusty haired man, "I'm not interested in working things out with _him_."

Takeshi let his shoulders sag in defeat along with an over dramatic sigh, before glancing over Shigeru's head towards the doorway where Nanami disappeared with a pout. Really, Toru was so lucky. Takeshi would of loved to be in his shoes right now, with Nanami draped on his arm... _'Instead, I'm stuck in this tense atmosphere with a hormonal teen, who just happens to be a boy as well,'_ Takeshi groaned inside his head, bottom lip twitching as if he was about to cry.

Shigeru silently watched the darker skinned man's reactions with an arched eyebrow, mildly taking a bite of his own piece of steak. Where Satoshi got his friends, he'll never know. _'Bunch of odd balls...'_

--

Early the next morning, Shigeru found himself enjoying another well prepared breakfast with his sister and Takeshi, who had bothered that day to bring along one of the many books on childcare he had found in Professor Yukinari's lab's library, giving his own personal advice as he ran through the thick bound book in seconds. Nanami remained silent as she ate, smiling here and there sweetly whenever Shigeru would glance at her pleadingly to get the dark skinned man to shut up. His silent wish was finally granted when the door bell rang high and clear, making Takeshi drop the book where it sat on the table before jumping from his seat, dashing out into the living room to answer the door as he called, "I'll get it!"

Shigeru let out a breath of air, shoulders slumping as he sunk deeper into his chair, glad for the moment of peace. Nanami giggled behind her hand at this, chirping, "Oh, come now, Shigeru. I think its really sweet what he's trying to do."

"Really?" Shigeru drawled with a soft glare directed to the raven haired Okido, grumbling as he finished, "Then why don't you let _him_ school _you_ from now on?"

"Because I'm not the one having the baby," Nanami pointed out easily, before taking another bite of the meal Takeshi had made for them.

Suddenly, both Okido's looked up from their meal to see Takeshi re-enter the kitchen, this time with a package cradled in his arms. Nanami blinked curiously at the new package, fork still in her mouth from when she took her last bite, while Shigeru arched an eyebrow, skeptical milky brown eyes glaring at the brown paper covered item, not trusting its simple, innocent outlook. Seeing the two's questioning stare, Takeshi helplessly shrugged, holding out the package as he announced, "Its for you, Shigeru."

"I wonder what it could be," Nanami hummed as she set her fork down, watching her younger brother stand from his seat to except the package Takeshi held.

"Who gave it to you?" Shigeru asked instead, glancing up at Takeshi, who could only shrug in response.

"Not sure, actually," Takeshi replied rather sheepishly, raising a hand to scratch the back of his head in slight embarrassment, "No one was there. I guess they just... left it and ran off."

"Oooh," the raven haired girl cooed, placing a hand on her cheek softly, a blush powdering her cheeks as she giggled, "An admirer, maybe?"

Rolling his eyes at his sister, Shigeru balanced the package in one hand, using the other to tear the cheap, thin ribbon that tied it together. As the ribbon snapped with ease, the paper bag material gave way, falling open as a flower would its petals, revealing a light red, almost pink, spa kimono, along with a white envelope, which sat atop of the clothing. Takeshi and Nanami gave the spa kimono a questioning look, glancing towards one another before turning their attentions to the brunette. A light blush coated Shigeru's cheeks as he stared, wide eyed, at the package's gifts, surprise written clearly on his features. Frowning in confusion, Takeshi opened his mouth to question what was wrong, only to be beaten to it by the raven haired beauty still sitting at the kitchen table.

"Why is there a spa kimono in there?" Nanami asked with a pout, looking envious at her younger brother. "Did you go to one without your big sister? How cruel..." Letting loose a sigh, Nanami's disappointment quickly changed to a silly smile as she teased, "Or... is it an invitation by your secret admirer?"

"Knock it off, Sis!" Shigeru demanded with a flustered glare, face heating up with an even darker blush. Ignoring the raven haired woman as she laughed cheerily at embarrassing her brother, Shigeru glared down at the package's contents, snatching up the envelope roughly, letting it crinkle in his fist without a care, before stuffing it into his pants' back pocket. Huffing a sigh, the dark brunette turned his attention back to the spa kimono, answering his sister, "And I have already gone to this spa. It was a little too fancy for my tastes, as hard as it is to believe."

"Tch," Nanami shook her head in disappointment, pout returning, "So not fair. I'd love to go to a nice relaxing spa..."

Takeshi's dark eyes gave a spark of light at this, rushing over to the raven haired woman's side to cup her hands in his, kneeling down on one knee, as if to propose, as he announced, "For you, I'd carry you all the way to such a magical spa resort, where you can soak in the warming waters while staring up lovingly with those dark pools of brown that are your eyes at the starry sky that fails to shine in the same beauty you so possess."

"Oh, Takeshi," Nanami giggled happily, "You're so silly."

Rolling his eyes, Shigeru took this chance to escape, dispositing the spa kimono on the couch in the living room before leaving their house all together in favor in visiting his little Eevee. As he shut the door of his house behind him, Shigeru gave a pause in his steps, hand reaching down to pull the envelope from his pocket before holding it up to stare at. Biting his bottom lip, his free hand rose to pick at the flap that opened the white paper, flicking it open lightly and just catching sight of the material inside. Glaring at it, Shigeru quickly shoved it back into his pocket, before continuing in his steps to reach Professor Yukinari's Lab.

--

Satoshi placed his beloved cap onto his messy raven locks as he headed out, Kasumi and Pikachu following, saying a quick goodbye to Hanako for the day. Togepi gave a chirp in the redhead's arms, happy to be back with his 'mother,' even if the darker skinned man gave him yummier foods. Kasumi gave an affectionate coo in response to the pokémon inside its own shell, getting even happier chirpy laughs in reply. Satoshi gave the two a quick grin, before turning his attention to the center of Pallet Town. It was yet another beautiful day in the small, simple town, and Satoshi wanted to enjoy it for all its worth.

Before the pokémon trainer could make another step outside his property, Satoshi caught sight of Shigeru, along with his Eevee who trotted at his master's heels, stomping off, away from his grandfather's home and Lab. Arching a brow at this, the raven haired boy followed his gaze to where Shigeru was heading away from, spotting none other then Toru, calling out something as he tried to keep up with the Okido's quick pace. A frown quickly destroyed his earlier cheerfulness at this, dark brown eyes hardening in a light glare as he watched the photographer chase after Shigeru so eagerly.

"Oh boy," Kasumi groaned from behind Satoshi, catching his attention for a split second as she spotted the two other boys not too far from them, "Looks like Toru is bothering Shigeru again. Hope he doesn't say something stupid, like _last_ time."

"...I'll go see what's going on," Satoshi announced to his friend, before jogging off to follow the others, Pikachu chirping out a quick "pika pi!" as she followed suit.

"Satoshi!" Kasumi whined in a yell, pouting lightly as she watched her comrade chase after the two brunettes. Shaking her head in disbelieve at the other's actions, the redhead turned to look at the pokémon cradled in her arms, deciding aloud, "Guess I better make sure he behaves himself, huh, Togepi?" Togepi responded with a chirpy cheer, little hands waving eagerly, making Kasumi give out a light laugh before she started to follow the others, though at a slower, even pace.

--

"Leave me alone, already!" Shigeru yelled as he spun on his heels, shooting a glare at the curly haired brunette who refused to just leave him alone. The said annoyance continued to jog over to the other brunette, panting a bit before he finally stopped, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Eevee silently watched at his master's side, ear twitching lightly.

"N-now come on, Shigeru," Toru got out through his pants, pushing himself to stand tall once more, holding out his hands as if to show the other he was unharmed and no danger to the other boy, "Can't you just hear me out a sec?"

"I already told you," Shigeru bit back quickly, glaring at the photographer fiercely, "I'm not interested in whatever you have to say!"

"But--"

Before Toru could event begin his own retort, a stray blast of thunder was shot out between the two brunettes, catching both of their attentions to spot a certain raven haired pokémon trainer rushing towards them, the yellow mouse following quickly behind her master. As he got closer, Satoshi waved his arm in the air, calling, "Sorry about that! Seems Pikachu and I got a little carried away in our training... Eh, heh." With an awkward laugh, the raven haired boy placed that same waving hand behind his head, giving it a good scratch.

"Ah, i-its okay," Toru stuttered out a bit nervously, a sheepish smile curling his lips, "As long as no one got hurt." At this, Toru gave Shigeru a shy glance, as if he wasn't sure if he was even allowed to look at the other without being apprehended for such behaviors.

"Whatever," Shigeru quickly snubbed, crossing his arms over his chest, nose turned upwards as he tilted his head to the side, away from the curly haired brunette. Doing this, however, brought the raven haired boy into his line of view. Staring at the cheerfully smiling Satoshi, Shigeru couldn't help but let loose a stray grin as an idea entered his mind. "Hey, Satoshi."

"Yes?" Satoshi perked up instantly, back standing straight as if he were a soldier waiting for his mission of the day. Or, to Shigeru, more like an eager puppy, ready to please his master.

"I have a favor to ask," Shigeru chirped with an as charming smile he could pull, despite his earlier anger. Tilting his head an inch towards Toru, to get Satoshi's attention on the photographer, the young Okido continued, "Toru was so hoping for a tour around our quaint little town, but I'm feeling a bit tired. Can you show him around in my place, Satoshi?"

_'If it gets you away from __**him**__,'_ Satoshi thought inwardly, dark brown eyes sparking with an inner fire, before flashing a large smile at the two other boys as he announced a strong, loud, "Sure! No problem at all!"

"Wha-but--!" Toru started to protest, a deep frown marring his features. But before he could say any more then that, he found himself being pushed along by an overly eager Satoshi, heading back towards Professor Okido's lab, where he had finally ran into the youngest Okido that morning.

"Don't worry, Toru," Satoshi happily spoke, shrugging off the other's protests without a care, "I know this town like the back of my hand! After all, I grew up here, just like Shigeru. My tour will be just as enjoyable. Trust me."

"But..." Toru started, before letting loose a tired sigh, shoulders slumping as he finally gave in to defeat, "All right... Lead the way."

Watching as the two boys walk off into the distance, Shigeru gave a light, impressed whistle, catching his Eevee's attention as his brown ears gave a twitch of interest. "Satoshi can be really useful when he wants to be," the dark brunette stated with a light affectionate tone that most would of missed, had the little brown fox not known his master for as long as he did, he might of missed it himself. Glancing up at his master with curious dark eyes, Eevee gave a soft 'ee?' before spotting the small, cute smile that curled his master's lips nicely. Chuckling, Shigeru spoke, "Impressive." before turning to walk in the opposite direction, towards the small river that ran along side of Pallet Town.

As the brunette made his way along, calling a faint, "Come along, Eevee!" behind him, Eevee silently thought, _'Humans are so interesting sometimes...'_ before trotting happily after the other.

--

"And here is Professor Okido's open fields, where all the pokémon run about," Satoshi stated proudly, waving an arm about towards the said area. The two stood next to the fence that bordered the open field, Toru mildly taking a few photos half heartedly whenever a pokémon would appear in view. Satoshi ignored this, though, smiling broadly as he patted himself on the back on how well his plan to split Toru up from Shigeru had played out. Pikachu's "stray" thunder bolt had been a very nice tact. Holding back a chuckle, Satoshi moved to gesture out into town, where his house was set, starting up again with a, "And over there--"

Before Satoshi could continue, Toru's hand that held his camera drooped raggedly, a tired sigh slipping through his frowning lips as he spoke up, "Satoshi, you can stop now..."

"Huh?" Statoshi blinked, glancing over his shoulder to see Toru's defeated stance.

"Shigeru lied about this tour," Toru explained, moving to sit back against the wooden fence, "He just wanted to get rid of me... again."

"Pika..." Pikachu chirped weakly, ears drooping in sympathy towards the photographer. Trotting lightly on her rear paws, she came to a stop next to Toru, lifting one paw to pat his arm kindly.

Satoshi gave a pout, knowing Pikachu was right in trying to cheer Toru up, instead of cruelly ignoring him with a fake grin. Sighing, the raven haired boy moved to plop down next to the photographer, "Ah... Sorry about Shigeru. He can be a jerk sometimes."

"Oh, that's right!" Toru suddenly perked up, turning to Satoshi as he eagerly asked, "You and Shigeru grew up together, right?"

"Well, ya," Satoshi nodded with an arched brow, wondering why the brunette would ask such an obvious question, "I've known him as far as I can remember."

"Then you'd know what he likes," Toru stated, smiling happily at this new fact. Glancing down to his lap, hands fiddling with his beloved camera, Toru spoke evenly, "I don't know him as well as you do, but, I do know enough to realize that I like him. And you might call him a jerk, but he can be really kind and sweet when he wants to..."

_'I'm sure you would,'_ Satoshi thought snidely, glaring at Toru with a pouty frown. Swallowing a biting reply, Satoshi forced a shaky smile as he asked, "Why go to all this trouble? Just... how _much_ do you like him?"

"I..." Toru started, staring up at Satoshi with an openly surprised expression, before a sheepish smile curled his lips, blue eyes glancing sideways towards his camera again as a faint blush coated his cheeks, "I don't want to get ahead of myself and say things I don't really mean, but..." Closing his eyes, as if meditating to make sure his words came out right, he finished, "I do know he's the first person to ever attract my attention so strongly before."

_'Well, duh,'_ Satoshi huffed, annoyed at Toru's heart felt confession, _'He wouldn't be pregnant right now if you didn't find him attractive enough.'_ Sensing her friend's displeasure, Pikachu answered Toru's speech with a friendly "Pika, pikachu!" and another encouraging pat on the arm.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Toru praised the yellow mouse with a light chuckle, patting Pikachu on the head in his show of gratitude. "So, Satoshi," the photographer started, returning his attention to the raven haired pokémon trainer, "What does Shigeru like?"

Gulping, Satoshi glanced around the grassy land, dirt trail, and his own shoes, trying but failing to come up with a response. He didn't want to give Toru a chance to get back together with Shigeru, Satoshi knew that for sure, but he didn't want to be mean to his friend, at least not openly. Secretly, Satoshi didn't mind ruining the photographer's chance with the youngest Okido, but how was he to do that while trying to _help_ him? How could Satoshi tell Toru what Shigeru liked, and not expect it to work out for the blue eyed brunette...?

Suddenly, Satoshi perked up again as a new idea hit him. Returning his attention to the curly haired brunette, Satoshi gave Toru a shrug as he finally responded, "Actually, I don't know what Shigeru likes, that he can't get himself. And what he doesn't have, he'd rather earn then let it be handed to him so easily." _'There,'_ Satoshi thought with an inner grin, _'That should be good enough for him.'_

"Oh..." Toru deflated at this, the frown returning to his lips as he turned his eyes to the clear blue sky, "That's too bad. But then again, I guess I should of expected it. Shigeru isn't that easy to win against, huh?"

"Nope," Satoshi easily agreed, deep brown eyes glancing up to the sky as well, Pikachu mimicking the two humans in curiosity to what was so interesting. _'But then again, I guess that's what makes him so worth in chasing and trying to win his affection...'_ Brown eyes snapping wide, tanned cheeks flaring with a sudden blush, Satoshi tried not to sputter in front of Toru as he silently tried to take in what he had just thought. Did he really go out of his way, eager to start a fight with the other, just to get his affection..? Attention, sure, but _affection_? Gulping down the sudden clog of nerves that found its way in his throat, Satoshi let his brown eyes to glance over to the surprisingly undisturbed Toru and Pikachu. Swallowing again, wincing at the sudden dryness in his throat, Satoshi called, "Well, I'd better get going. See ya around, Toru. Lets go, Pikachu."

"Oh, sure..." Toru replied with an uncertain tone, watching the raven haired boy suddenly flee with sudden speed, Pikachu having a hard time in keeping up. Blinking after the two in confusion, he added a weak, "Bye..." even though he was certain neither heard.

--

"Oh man, Pikachu..." came a grumbling whine from her master and friend, running a hand through his wild raven locks, cap resting in one hand for once instead of on his head, "I... I think I..."

"Pika pi?" she questioned with a tilt of her head, ears flopping with the movement easily.

"I think I'm in love with Shigeru," Satoshi finished with a light strain in his voice, cheeks burning in sudden realization. How had he not seen it before?! No wonder Shigeru was always calling him an idiot, a fool, a...a... "Man, I'm so stupid!" he groaned, raising a hand to cover his face, as if it'd hide his humiliation.

After having run away from Toru, Satoshi crashed behind his own house, careful not to be spotted by Hanako or Mr. Mime, who for once weren't out in the garden, but busy cleaning out the house. Pikachu had followed loyally, concerned for her master's sudden retreat, as well as curious as to why he had suddenly rushed off from a friend they would probably not see for many months to come. Finally understanding now, Pikachu trotted closer, jumping into his lap as she gave a cheerful chirp, "Pi, pika pi!"

Peeking around his fingers to see Pikachu's determined stare, Satoshi let a defeated sigh out as he mumbled, "I guess you're right, Pikachu... At least Shigeru has shown some interest..." Blushing, Satoshi recalled the quick peck the brunette had given him the other day, a small smile curling his lips as he could still feel the tingling it had left so close to his lips. Chuckling, the raven haired boy moaned, "But I still can't believe I didn't notice my own feelings until just _now_... I'm surprised Shigeru would even look at someone like me, let alone _like_ me..."

"Pika, pikachuu!" the little mouse huffed, shaking her head in disagreement. Receiving a pat on the head, she instantly quieted as she watched her master replace his cap on his head once more, the determined gleam in his dark brown eyes returning, sparking to life as he rose to his feet. Moving quickly, Pikachu jumped from his lap onto his shoulder, little paws clinging to his ear and cap as her master righted himself, standing tall and proud.

"I got it, Pikachu," Satoshi agreed, smiling broadly as he turned his attention to the open plain where he remembered Shigeru and Eevee heading towards, where the riverbed met the ocean of Pallet Town, "If I wait too long, Toru is gonna try to win Shigeru back. And I already promised him I'd be there for Shigeru, to help him continue his journey with us..."

"Pika pi!" Pikachu chirped in a chuckle, patting Satoshi's cap with one paw in encouragement to get a move on.

Returning the pat with a laugh of his own, Satoshi replied, "All right, already! I'm going, I'm going!"

--

Having spent a nice, relaxing half hour admiring the calm sway of the waves that met up with the river side, Shigeru, with Eevee in tow, decided it was about time to head back. Hopefully he wouldn't run into Toru again, though he felt he might not get a chance if the photographer was still bunking in Professor Okido's lab. Sighing, Shigeru took a spare glance down at his heels, where Eevee happily trotted, wondering if Nanami would mind him bringing the little brown fox inside their own home for a change. It'd cut the chances of running into Toru.

Mulling over the thought, Shigeru suddenly caught sight of two silhouettes in the distance, walking his way in even steps, showing no hurry in their travel. As the two came closer, the brunette quickly recognized the duo as his older sister and Takeshi. Blinking at the sight, Shigeru wondered what the two were doing together now. Neither seemed to be doing much of anything, as far as Shigeru could see. Even Takeshi wasn't moving about excitedly with endless flirting lines and witty confessions of how much they were destined to be together.

Before Shigeru could study the couple much more, Nanami spotted the brunette, waving eagerly in greeting at her younger brother as she called, "There you are, Shigeru! Takeshi here was thinking of having a picnic today for lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"Um..." glancing down at Eevee, who returned the stare with a questioning one of his own, Shigeru finally returned his attention to the raven haired woman and the rusty haired man as he slowly nodded in consent, "I guess that'd be nice."

"And I got something for the pokémon, just in case," Takeshi added as he held up the basket that held all the goodies within, smiling widely in pride, "So I'm sure your Eevee will enjoy himself as well."

Cracking a small smile at this, Shigeru nodded once more, Eevee chirping happily at the sounds of a good meal as he frolicked the short distance towards the couple. "That's sounds great," Shigeru replied, following his little pokémon at a slower pace, not in as much of a hurry as the fluffy brown fox.

Nodding in return, Takeshi began to set up their picnic. Placing a yellow, almost white, blanket down on the grassy land, Takeshi began to set the food out evenly, adding a bit extra on a certain plate, which Shigeru soon found to be his own when the rusty brown haired man handed it to him. Taking the said plate, full of neatly sliced sandwitches, two onigiri, and even a freshly cut peach, Shigeru took a seat on the yellow blanket, right next to Nanami, who sat across from Takeshi himself. As he began to take a few bites from his sandwich, watching Eevee as he eagerly dug into the special pokémon food Takeshi had fixed up himself, the sound of hurried feet and dust being kicked up caught all three of their attentions.

"Shiiiigeruuuu!" came the hurried shout of a familiar raven haired boy, sliding to an abrupt halt as he reached their side, only to trip at the last second ungracefully, causing more dirt to puff up into a dust cloud. The yellow electric mouse landed with more grace then her partner, giving him a sympathetic stare as she peeps a soft, 'pika pi, pikachuuu...' Ignoring his failure in stopping, Satoshi pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, huffing in quick pants to try and catch his breath. Dirt stuck to his cheeks here and there, as well as his arms, thanks to his fall, but he payed no mind to this. Instead, he locked dark brown eyes onto milky brown ones that stared at him with an arch brow, silently questioning the other on what he was doing.

"Oh, heya, Satoshi," Takeshi greeted his friend easily, not at all bothered by the odd entrance the raven haired boy pulled, "Hungry? We got a few extra sandwiches, so I'm sure we can fill you in."

Satoshi didn't respond, not even sparing a quick glance at his darker skinned friend, eyes never swaying from where they were locked onto Shigeru's own. Frowning at this sudden intense interest in staring so shamelessly at him, Shigeru opened his mouth to question the other, but was beaten to it by the boy himself, who quickly shouted in a determined tone, "I'll do it!"

"Do what, Satoshi?" Takeshi questioned, his own brow now arched in quere to his comrade's odd behavior. Even Nanami was giving the raven haired boy a questioning look, though with a hint of amusement in her brown irises.

This time, Satoshi gave the rusty brown haired man a quick look, before turning his eyes back onto Shigeru's as he stated just as seriously, "I'll take responsibly of your kid, Shigeru. I'll be the father it never had. I'll do it!"

"Satoshi..." Shigeru blinked in sudden wonder, a blush coating his cheeks at the confession. He had almost forgotten about their deal, though Shigeru had said it in a more joking, taunting way to rile Satoshi up a bit, but for the raven haired boy to actually eagerly take up on the offer... Now _that_ was impressive.

Nanami hid a smile behind a hand as she giggled, speaking in an awed, "Oh my..." Even if Satoshi was the real father or not, Nanami couldn't help but find the whole thing cute. It was about time the two boys finally stopped their pointless rivalry and admitted to their true feelings for the other. Those two were far too stubborn sometimes.

"You can't be serious..." Takeshi finally forced out, after breaking from his shock at his youngest friend's confession, "This, this is a really big deal, Satoshi."

"I know that!" Satoshi huffed in reply, pouting at being lectured while he was trying to show off how responsible he could be to Shigeru. Turning his attention back to the still amazed Okido boy, Satoshi gulped back any nerves that wanted to surface as he spoke once more, "I'll do it, Shigeru... If you allow me to."

Feeling his lip twitch, in a smile or a frown, Shigeru wasn't quite sure, but the movement was all it took to snap the brunette from his trance, locking his milky brown eyes sharply onto Satoshi's determined dark brown. Neither boy wavered from the intensity of eithers' stare, not once daring to look away, even for a second. It was only when Shigeru spared a blink, did the youngest Okido finally open his mouth to announce his answer to Satoshi, and the other four who just so happened to be in hearing distance of the two.

"All right, Satoshi. But you better be prepared. This isn't some simple walk in the park."

"Don't worry," Satoshi responded quickly, a small grin curling his lips as his deep brown eyes sparkled in victory, "I didn't expect it to be."

--

_**tsuzuku...**_


	11. So Its True

**Who's Your Man?**

--

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, Toru x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

--

Chapter 11

So Its True

After finishing the picnic lunch Takeshi had prepared, Satoshi scoring a few sandwiches himself, as the rusty brown haired man had promised, Shigeru parted ways with his sister and Takeshi, Satoshi inviting himself to follow the youngest Okido boy, along with Pikachu and Eevee in tow. Takeshi had voiced a few more words of concern once the two teens were about to leave their side, but Satoshi had quickly waved the pokémon breed off with a cheerful, "Don't worry about it, Takeshi." Even Shigeru had shrugged off the others worry, announcing, "This is between Satoshi and me. No need to concern yourself with us."

Grinning from ear to ear, Satoshi walked with a skip in his step, keeping close to Shigeru's side as they made their way towards Professor Yukinari's Lab. Shigeru, on the other hand, kept at a calm, even pace, trying his best to hide the blush that dusted a crossed his cheeks cutely. Just standing next to the raven haired boy, Shigeru could feel just how proudly happy he was. He was tempted to find that problemic Jigglypuff and steal her beloved pen just to write all over Satoshi's face to make it even more obvious on just how much his happy-go-lucky aura was leaking out from his very pores. _'As if that would make it any more obvious then it already is,'_ Shigeru thought with the smallest hints of a grin.

"Professor, we're here!" Satoshi suddenly called as soon as the two stepped into the lab, holding the entrance door open for Shigeru while he did. Just as the brunette made his own way in, Shigeru wacked Satoshi upside the head, causing his infamous cap to almost fall off his raven haired head. Fixing it as quickly as he could, Satoshi gave the other a pouty glare as he demanded, "What was that for?"

"Don't shout so much," Shigeru lectured in an uncaring voice, not even bothering to stop in his steps to glance back at the boy, "Gramps is a busy guy. Try and find him instead of just calling for him to come to you."

"...Fine," Satoshi huffed, rubbing the back of his head that had been wacked unfairly. Following after Shigeru, the two made their way down a hallway, where a few mini libraries were kept behind closed doors, full of pokémon information from types to breeding. Satoshi couldn't help but look up at these hallway walls, staring at the few photos, from drawings to paintings to even actual photographs of pokémon, wild and trainer caught, that decorated the metal gray walls. The Professor, or Kenji, Satoshi wasn't sure, had even added a few potted plants here and there, leaning against the walls on either side of them.

Just as the two were about to reach the end of the hallway, one of the many doors ahead of them creaked open with a light whine, catching both boys' attention instantly. Taking one step from the room, stood Toru, a look of surprise across his features at finding the two rival trainers so suddenly after loosing track of them not too long ago that morning. Slowly, unsurely, Toru let a small smile break out over his lips as he gave a weak wave, "Hi there, Shigeru. Satoshi."

"Erm... Hi," Satoshi responded, lifting a hand in greeting before letting it drop instantly at his side. Glancing about him quickly, Satoshi tried to come up with a good excuse to use to get around the photographer without making a scene or shouting out a shameless "Shigeru is mine!" Gulping, the raven haired pokémon trainer wrapped one arm to loop with Shigeru's own, giving it a tug as he tried to pull the brunette with him as he quickly spoke, "Don't mind us, Toru. We're just needing to talk with the Professor real quick. Don't mind us--"

"W-wait," Toru stuttered out quickly, grasping onto Shigeru's other arm, halting their steps from making it around the curly haired brunette. Immediately, though, Toru's grip loosened, receiving a glare from Shigeru instantly at the contact. Swallowing any nerves that reared their ugly head as best he could, Toru forced out, "Shigeru, please... I just want to talk."

"Toru, I don't--" Shigeru started in a comanding tone, giving his arm a tug to get the other brunette to release him, but the photographer only tightened his hold.

"I don't care if it doesn't lead to anything!" Toru begged, fingers shaking as he tried to keep his old on the Okido's arm strong, "I just... Can't we just talk? Please..."

"He said he doesn't want to, so leave him alone," Satoshi shout back with a frown, feeling irritated at how the photographer so shamelessly pawed at _his_ Shigeru.

Shigeru remained quiet, locking blue eyes with his milky brown as he dueled the other in an inner battle of will. It was rather pathetic how desperate Toru could be, wanting, _begging_, to speak with him. Shigeru had steeled himself, months ago, when he found out he was carrying this young man's child, that he wouldn't tell him that he was pregnant. Even now, Shigeru was unwilling to reveal the truth to him, especially with Satoshi taking the title of father, _happily_, he might add. But on the other hand... _'Might as well talk with him,'_ Shigeru decided with a sigh, _'To get him off my back.'_

"Fine," Shigeru spoke finally, surprising both Toru and Satoshi, "Lets talk."

"But, Shigeru!" Satoshi quickly shouted, pulling the brunette closer as if that would change the Okido's mind.

"Forget it, Satoshi," Shigeru reassured, waving a hand carelessly as if that alone would calm Satoshi's worries, "I need to get this over with."

"Alright..." Satoshi agreed, though reluctantly, releasing his grip on Shigeru's arm, lowering his head a bit to hide his pout behind his cap's tongue. Staying put, the raven haired boy listened to the retreating foot steps of both Shigeru and Toru, followed shortly after by a soft click of a door being closed behind them. Nawing at his buttom lip, Satoshi forced himself not to shout a loud protest, keeping rooted in his spot in the hallway, fists clenched tightly at his side.

It felt too soon to be letting Shigeru be alone with Toru, after finally confessing his own feelings to the other. What if Toru was able to sweet talk Shigeru back into liking him again? What if Shigeru reconcidered their deal and push Satoshi away, claiming him to be a fool for even trying to get close to him? What if... Toru sweeps Shigeru off his feet, and the two run off together, _elope_ together..?

Gulpind down the images that ran through Satoshi's mind's eye, feeling both rage and depression course through his veins from even thinking of such a possible scene, Satoshi almost missed the light sound of sneakers squeaking on the metal floor of Okido's lab. Tilting his head just slightly to see around his cap, that still shadowed his eyes from view, the raven haired teen caught sight of a familiar redhead, green eyes locked onto him with a demanding glare.

"So its true, then," Kasumi announced, tone of voice on the biting side.

"Kasumi?" Satoshi questioned, lifting his head up a bit more to give her a confused stare, worry on Shigeru alone with Toru forgotten for the moment.

"I heard you announce how you'll take Shigeru's baby as your own," Kasumi explained with a frown, right foot tapping at the floor as if she were about to scold a child for stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. Blinking at the redhead, still rather lost to what was bugging her so much, Satoshi opened his mouth to ask just that, but was beaten to it as the water pokémon trainer huffed, "Are you really serious about this, Satoshi? I know how you're always rushing into things head first, without thinking them through properly. I don't want you to be saying one thing and then changing you mine the next just because you find out its too tough for you."

"I wouldn't--" Satoshi started quickly, a disturbed expression coating his face in surprise at what his friend had accused him of. Pausing, he took a deep breath to calm himself, not wanting to shout while so close to the door where Shigeru was having his own personal conversation with Toru. As soon as the two finished, the quicker he wouldn't have to concern himself with Toru trying to steal Shigeru away from him... Turning his attention back to the still unconvinced redhead, Satoshi began again, "I wouldn't take my word back on something like this, Kasumi. I'm completely serious about this. I... I really..."

"Really what?" Kasumi asked with a raised eyebrow, glare lightening up just ever so slightly.

Blushing lightly on sun kissed cheeks, Satoshi once again hid under the shadow of his cap, muttering lightly under his breath, barely reaching Kasumi's ears as he answered, "I really love Shigeru..."

Green eyes widen in sudden surprise, blinking at her friend in amazement at such a confession. It had surprised her when Satoshi had so eagerly rushed off just to confess to Shigeru on how he'd happily take both the Okido and unborn child under his wing. She didn't mean to spy, but she had just happened to be in hearing distance when Satoshi had shouted his confiction to the others that early afternoon. But to hear the brash pokémon trainer announce his _love_ for the other... A soft blush coated her cheeks as a small smile curled her lips, a light chuckle slipping past before she could stop herself. _'You're such a reckless kid, Satoshi,'_ Kasumi thought with a shake of her head, before finally speaking up again to the raven haired youth, "As long as you're a hundred percent sure about this, Satoshi..."

"I am!" Satoshi shouted, fists pumping in the air as if to show his eagerness to complete his promise to the other, cheeks still coated pink with a blush of embarrasment, from having to confess his feelings to his friend. Calming down, just a bit, Satoshi repeated himself at a softer tone, again having to school himself not to shout at the reminder of Shigeru, "I am, more then sure. A hundred and one percent, even."

"Good," Kasumi nodded, before twirling on her heels to walk down the hallway once more, away from Satoshi.

Blinking in confusion, Satoshi took a few quick steps to follow, only to stop just as quickly, not wanting to completely leave Toru alone with Shigeru, even if he was only on the other side of a door. Shouting, not caring if he interrupted the two this time, he called, "Kasumi! Is that it?"

"Yep," she called back over her shoulder, giving a faint shrug as she added, "I just didn't want you to be pulling Shigeru around to just toss him aside. As long as you keep to your promise, I won't nag you about it."

"Oh..." was all Satoshi could say before Kasumi disappeared around a corner, leaving him once again alone in the hallway. Taking a few steps back to where he had last stood, waiting for Shigeru to finish, the raven haired teen raised a finger to give his still heated cheek a light scratch, not sure what to think of that quick encounter with the girl. _'Oh well,'_ he thought with a shrug, a small grin curling his lips as he inwardly laughed, _'At least she didn't scream at me like she did when I destroyed her bike.'_

--

The soft ticking of the clock rung loudly in the silence that filled the small room which Toru had chosen to speak with Shigeru. Neither teen had spoken since the door had clicked shut after them, though for different reasons. Toru was nervous, wiggling about in his seat, fingers gripping unconsciously at the table's edge that sat between them, trying but failing to come up with a reasonable conversation that wouldn't make him out to be a desperate fool. Shigeru, on the other hand, appeared calm and uncaring, milky brown eyes boredly watching Toru fidget in place.

Swallowing rather forcefully, Toru's fingers began to idly tap at the table's surface, blue eyes shyly shooting up to take in Shigeru's features before retreating down to stare at the oddish shaped vase that held a couple of blue and yellow flowers that grew wildly around Pallet. They were small, but oddly breathtaking for their size. If Toru wasn't so stuck on being a pokémon photographer, he might of taken a shot of those little plants...

Shigeru winced as the flash to Toru's camera shined brightly in his eyes, breaking the silence with a _click_ and a whirl as it automatically set itself for the next shot. Toru's arms gave a twitch, before slowly lowering his camera to set it harmlessly on the table top, a look of surprise across his features. The young Okido watched as the photographer's fingers faintly caressed the black material of his beloved camera, taking in the curly haired brunette's slumped shoulders and confused frown that adorn his features, eyebrows furrowing in what Shigeru could only guess as inner frustration. Being a photographer and so passionate in his line of work, Shigeru could understand how he had found this teenager to be attractive, even if he was also a fool and open with his emotions to the point it annoyed him. But then... Satoshi was nothing _but_ a fool and was nearly _always_ exploading with emotions he never even bothered once to hold back, so maybe, as much as the younger Okido hated to admit, that was another bonus towards how he had found Toru to be attractive.

Frowning with a light glare, Shigeru tried to shake off that train of thought. What the two had was just one night of passion, no strings attached, and just ended up with the darker brunette carrying the pokémon photographer's child. It sounded rather tacky to his own ears, like one of those cheap soap operas Shigeru later found his grandfather watching in his free time after he had returned with the news of being pregnant. It was no surprise, how the old man had taken the sudden news very well, while Kenji nearly had a panic attack. Shigeru had a feeling that his sister might be the cause to their grandfather's sudden interest in those over dramatic shows, but let it go. Now really was not the time to be thinking of such trivial things. _'I need to get it through Toru's head that what we had was nothing more then a silly affair,'_ Shigeru thought, before turning his attention towards the other brunette as he suddenly began to speak.

"Um... I just want to start off with... well," scratching the back of his head nervously, Toru gave Shigeru a rather pitiful stare, blue eyes wavering weakly as he forced out a quick, "I'm really sorry!"

Shigeru blinked at the sudden announcement, through his expression never wavered from appearing to be bored with this whole conversation already. Really, though, saying 'I'm sorry!' was the last thing Shigeru expected to come from Toru's mouth, at least in what he had _thought_ they were going to be discussing.

"I just..." Toru began again, looking extremely flustered in his seat that Shigeru was rather tempted to laugh in his face, "I didn't know you'd be so sensitive about your weight... Had I known, I wouldn't of said anything!"

A snort slipped past Shigeru's lips before he could stop it, raising a hand to clamp over his mouth to stiffle any other chuckles that threatened to come tumbling out at that exact moment. To think, this fool of a photographer had been worried, going out of his way just to say _I'm sorry I called you fat!_ And Shigeru had thought he was just a fool... He was a complete idiot!

"But seriously..." Toru started once more, raising an eyebrow as he watched Shigeru's shoulders shake with mirth, before continuing on in an 'I'm-serious-about-this' tone, "I didn't come here just for sight seeing, even if Pallet is a quaint little town. And I know that it would of been highly unlikely, but I had hoped I would run into you again..."

"Toru..." Shigeru drawled in a warning tone, amusement gone as the room's atmosphere suddenly became thick.

"Please, let me talk," Toru begged before the pokémon trainer could say anymore. When he was given a reluctant nod to go ahead, the photographer spared a pleased smile before returning to the deep mood of their conversation was turning towards, "I know what we had was a one time thing, and I'll understand if you never want to see me again, but... If its possible, if you'd allow it, would it be okay if we... Well," Toru broke off with a nervous chuckle, cheeks lighting up with a blush as he ruffled his curly locks as if trying to shake out all his nervousness. Raising his gaze away from the oddish shaped vase, Toru's blue eyes locked with Shigeru's milky brown as he finally asked, "If we could be something... _more_ then just acquaintances?"

"Are you asking me to be friends?" Shigeru asked with a raised eyebrow, though his eyes squinted in what could be seen as a warning sign of a possible glare.

"I-if it'd be alright!" Toru suddenly panicked, arms waving wildly in the air at his sides, eyes widening as they quickly scampered all over the room to take in everything at once, but trying not to focus on the boy that sat before him. It was a surprise Toru didn't make himself dizzy at his overactive movements.

A slow smile curled up Shigeru's lips at this, though the smirk that it turned into didn't reassure Toru one bit, even as the darker brunette let loose a light chuckle. Toru's panicy stare finally, reluctantly, landed on Shigeru once more as the Okido suddenly began to ruffle about with something in his pants' pocket, pulling free what looked to be a piece of paper that had seen better days. Blinking at it questioningly, Toru could only watch as Shigeru placed what turned out to be an envelope onto the table before them, pushing it with a slender finger towards the photographer before he finally spoke, "Only friends, and nothing more. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes," Toru squeaked, sudden realization on what Shigeru was giving him connecting with his mind.

"Good," Shigeru's smile was somehow wicked, despite the gleam in his milky brown eyes, though Toru decided it was best not to voice those thoughts. "Well then, I suppose this conversation is over," the pokémon trainer said as he pushed his chair back and rose from his seat with grace that still captivated the photographer, "So I'll be going now."

"S-sure," Toru nodded quickly, jumping up to his own feet, and nearly falling backwards again as his feet whacked his own chair at the hasty move. Ignoring the ache that tingled up his legs, Toru rushed around the table, with a faint limp that he tried best to hide, before opening the closed door in a gentlemanly fashion to allow Shigeru to exit the small room first. As the young Okido boy was about to pass through the open door, Toru added a quick, but softly spoken, "Thanks for hearing me out, Shigeru..."

Pacing in his step, Shigeru tilted his head slightly towards Toru's, a small smile on his lips as he spoke just as quietly, "Don't mention it, Toru."

With those parting words, Toru silently watched as Satoshi quickly glued himself to Shigeru's side as the two continued their path down the hall, like Toru had never interrupted the two trainers to beg for Shigeru's attention. It was a shame, Toru thought with a frown, watching the two Pallet Town childhood friends continue on their way, Satoshi yapping like he didn't need air to breath while Shigeru patiently listened to the raven haired teen. He had hoped that Shigeru would of considered his plea, but then again, knew it was probably too much for the other to handle. It was just a night of passion, though he had hoped that it would of lasted longer then just one night...

Glancing back into the room, Toru strolled back towards the table, picking up the battered envelope with utmost care. He didn't bother to open it, already knowing what was inside. It was a photo, one he had taken when he and Shigeru had decided to stay in that traditional hot spring. The photo itself was sure to raise a few eyebrows if anyone, especially those who knew the brunette in the shot, saw it, though Toru knew it'd cause an even more craze if people knew it was taken by _him_, the well known _pokémon_ photographer. It was only the second photograph he had ever taken of a person, the first being of Satoshi and his friends, but at least in that one, there was still a pokémon in the shot. But in Shigeru's...

Blushing at the memories of that night came pouring into his mind's eye relentlessly, Toru quickly stuffed the envelope into his own pants' pockets, deciding it was best to keep this photograph secret from both friends and fans. He was sure Shigeru would thank him for that later on...

--

_**tsuzuku...**_

**AUTHOR NOTE:** Sorry for taking so long to update this story again. Wasn't happy at first with what I had written, so ended up sulking on it for a while, and then I had college assignments to take care of and didn't have the time to bother to work on it. Hope you'll enjoy this chapter! I'll try to get the next couple ones up quicker.


	12. Love Me Most!

**Who's Your Man?**

Pairing(s): Satoshi x Shigeru, Toru x Shigeru

Summary: Shigeru is in an unusual predicament. When Satoshi, Kasumi, and Takeshi return to his hometown, how will the three take the news? And who is the secret man who helped Shigeru get into this rare situation?

Chapter 12

Love Me Most!

"Shigeru, c'mon!"

"..."

"You can't ignore me forever!"

"..."

"Listen, I just think you should of told him, alright? I mean, not telling him is like... saying you're still available."

"..."

"I just think it'd be better for all of us if you'd tell him! If you don't... he'll think he still has a _chance_!"

"Satoshi, we both know that is false," Shigeru finally spoke, rolling his eyes at the raven haired youth who refused to let this topic _drop_.

Ever since that private conversation with Toru in his grandfather's lab, Satoshi had insisted they tell the photographer that they were together. "Its in bad taste," Shigeru had responded at the time, "Would _you_ want someone throwing insult to injury to _your_ failed interest in someone?" When Satoshi hadn't replied, in favor of sulking, the young Okido had assumed the topic was done and over with... _'If only it was so...'_ Shigeru sighed, feeling the aches of a headache rearing its ugly head.

"I'm just saying!" Satoshi continued, hot headed as when he was three and boasting about being a Pokémon Master-even though he didn't know what one _was_. "What if he comes back one day, months from now, and asks for your hand in marriage?"

"Well, I'd say he would be jumping too quickly into marriage," Shigeru responded honestly, a wince appearing a cross his features at the odd suggestion played before his mind's eye, "We'd have to date before something so serious as _that_, Satoshi."

"You know what I mean!" Satoshi huffed, face red in frustration or embarrassment, or both. "Just... What would you do if he came to tell you he still loves you?"

"I'd tell him thank you," the brunette spoke airily, uncaring and overly bored with the conversation.

"WHA-?"

"But I'd refuse his advances," Shigeru spared a wicked grin Satoshi's way, milky brown eyes twinkling in mirth at the stupid, mouth agape, expression that came over the raven haired boy's face.

Flapping his mouth much like a magikarp would be proud of, Satoshi physically shook off his stupor, nearly throwing his hat and Pikachu off his head in the process. Instead of responding, though, Shigeru watched as Satoshi let himself drop onto the grassy land, rustling a few loose strands to flutter in the crisp air before it settled once more.

"Jeez, you're always saying stuff that throws me off," Satoshi sighed, finger-less glove hands pawing at the grass beneath his palms as he stared up at the clear blue sky.

"I only do it for your best interest," Shigeru replied, smirking lightly as he watched his childhood rival play in the grass like a stubborn child who was refused a brand new toy or colorful sweet, "If I didn't, you would of probably not even gotten through the pokémon classes that we had to graduate before we could get our starters."

"Calling me 'stupid' about not remembering what a water pokémon was strong against wasn't really motivating," Satoshi grumbled as he pouted up at the brunette.

"You got through the class with a C average, didn't you?" the Okido teased in a reassuring voice, clear teeth flashing at the raven haired teen at his feet, "You could of gotten Fs or Ds."

"Sh-shut up-!"

"Shigeru..."

The sudden, yet tentative, voice caused both teens to jump in surprise, having not expected to see or hear from the other so soon. Turning around, Shigeru arched a brow while Satoshi secretly seethed as he silently watched Toru approach them. Scratching the back of his head nervously, blue eyes shyly glancing up to lock with milk chocolate. Toru gave a deep sigh as soon as he stopped before them, obviously gearing himself up before he spoke.

"I just wanted to say..." Toru started, a small, sad smile on his lips, completely oblivious of the sudden glare Satoshi was now shooting at him, "I'm very glad I got to see you again. And though it might not make a difference in how you feel about me and all..." Sighing again, Toru shot a quick glance toward Satoshi before the photographer suddenly moved, dashing the last few feet between him and the Okido to lock their lips in a quick, simple kiss. Pulling back just as quickly, Toru gave Shigeru's surprised, blushing face a shy smile before whispering, "See you around."

Satoshi openly gaped as Toru made a run for it, completely flabbergast as to what just happened. _'That... that...!' _ the raven haired teen tried to shout within his mind but finding it impossible to even form words deep within.

"Wow... that was unexpected," Shigeru voiced after a few minutes of pure, dead silence. And with the softly spoken words, Satoshi quickly snapped into action, jumping in front of Shigeru, arms flapping in a wild flustered way as he began to shout.

"How could you let him get away with that? I thought you didn't like him any more! And what about _me_? All I've ever got was a kiss on the cheek! Its not fair!"

Blinking at the flustered trainer as he gave himself time to pant back in the air he had lost in that quick rant, Shigeru couldn't help but let loose an amused laugh. Waving off the snappy "Hey!" that Satoshi yelped in responce to the laughter, Shigeru explained, "I'm sorry, its just... Really cute how _jealous_ you are of _Toru_."

"B-but..." blushing deeply at the attention, Satoshi nervously forced out, "He's had your first... _you know_, and that's his kid inside you, too-even though I'm claiming it as my own and all. Its just really not fair that he's gotten so far with you, when only knowing you for a day, when I've known you all my life!"

"I know, I know," Shigeru nodded with a sigh. Taking a quick glance around them, Shigeru tried to ignore the burning flush now on his cheeks at what he was planning to do. Shaking his head, the younger Okdio grabbed Satoshi's hand suddenly after him with a quick, "_C'mon_."

* * *

Kasumi and Takeshi were a bit surprised when they spotted the two Pallet Town rivals making their way towards the two ex-gym leaders. They found it even odder that _Shigeru_ was pulling Satoshi with him, instead of running away from the stubborn teen, especially how its been such a common scene since their stay. Togepi gave a cheerful chirp, stubby arms waving at the two teens while Pikachu cocked her head to the side in silent queerie.

Shigeru, noticing the ex-gym leaders' stare, came to a sudden halt, Satoshi crashing into his slender back with a startled cry of surprise. Ignoring the raven's fumble, the brunette rose his hand in a quick wave at Satoshi's travel companions, calling, "Takeshi! Kasumi!"

"Huh?" Kasumi blinked, unconsciously hugging Togepi closer to her bossom as her green eyes locked onto the Pallet pair.

"What are those two up to now?" Takeshi questioned, crossing his arms over his broad chest, head cocking to the side as he watched his friend and his friend's rival in curiosity. Pikachu gave a nervous smile and shrug at their feet.

"Good, they're looking," Shigeru nodded to himself, his words unable to reach the others' ears due to the distance between them. Turning to Satoshi, who had a hand covering his aching nose that had bumped into the Okido's shoulder a bit too hard for his liking, Shigeru asked, "Ready?"

"Ready for wha-?"

But before he could finish, strong, thin arms wrapped around Satoshi's neck, pulling him closer to Shigeru as said brunette leaned in, further cutting through the gap between them until their lips connected in a full-on kiss. Satoshi's dark brown eyes grew wide as dinner plates, fully taking in the close-up of Shigeru's features as the slightly older boy kissed him. With Takeshi and Kasumi watching. Or more likely gaping at them. Satoshi couldn't tell, couldn't pull his eyes away from his rival-now... what? Lover? Boyfriend? Or would Shigeru be considered a girlfriend, how he's able to get pregnant?

Swallowing down his nervousness, Satoshi did his best to shrug off his racing, pointless thoughts, concentrating on the soft lips against his suddenly chapped ones. Gloved fingers twitched at his side, slowly raising up and around a slender waist burried under a baggy, dark green silk shirt, being mindful as he hugged Shigeru closer, feeling the baby bump caressing his own stomach. In the back of his head, Satoshi thought, _'Toru's child...'_ but quickly replaced the reminder of what the photographer beat him to with an egoistical, _'My child...'_

Kasumi, along with Takeshi, openly started at the passionately making-out couple at least a yard away from them. Togepi gave a cheery chirp, smiling widely in clueless happiness. Pikachu, though a bit surprised herself at her master's sudden progress of claiming his chosen mate, couldn't help but blush under yellow fur, reaching up to scratch behind her ear with a soft 'pika pi...'

"I... I guess its true..." Kasumi breathed, green eyes slowly returning to their normal size as surprise finally began to leave her tense form. Still watching the two boys, however, she gave a pout, "Damn, they're so lucky!"

"H-huh?" Takeshi intelligently responded, ripping his eyes away from the scene with great difficulty to glance over at the feisty redhead questioningly, "How?"

"Its not fair Satoshi found someone special before me," Kasumi huffed in explanation, glaring up at the rusty brunette man besides her. There was a slight pause as she sized up her friend, before sighing as she announced, "Its not very surprising you haven't found anyone yet, though..."

"H-hey!" Takeshi whined, shooting Kasumi a wounded look as he protested, "It's not that I haven't found someone, its just that... Uh... There's too many perfect girls for me."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say," Kasumi shrugged him off, green eyes returning to her friend and rival as they seemed to heatedly suck faces even moreso then the last time she looked. A pink hue decorated her cheeks before she spoke, "Jeez, those two..."

"Guess... we don't have to keep looking for Shigeru's Mr. Right," Takeshi voiced slowly, carefully. Swallowing a lump caught in his throat, the tanned man mused more to himself, "Dude, Satoshi is going to be a dad..."

Kasumi's face gave a sudden wince, thoughts of _Satoshi_ taking care of Shigeru's child from feeding to changing its diaper to bathing it... It was oddly cute but at the same time a little scary. _'What if he choked it while feeding it?'_ Kasumi worried her lower lip, _'Or picked it with the pin when doing up the diaper? Or dropped it in the water or left it by itself and it drowns!'_

"Luckily Shigeru is well off, or else I'd worry about how they're going to afford all this," Takeshi gave a laugh.

_'Money...'_ Kasumi's eyes widened in shock before the bright greens darkened as she glared at the raven haired boy still fully enraptured with Shigeru's lips. Growling, she violently, yet carefully enough not to jar, pushed Togepi in Takeshi's surprised arms, stomping angrily towards the Pallet Town trainers.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Shigeru pulled back from Satoshi's eagerly needy lips, face flushed and breathless as he panted to return the air the raven haired teen had stolen away. Milky brown eyes fluttered open to lock onto just as dazed brown, a soft smile curling his lips as he took notice to Satoshi's large, goofy grin. But before Shigeru could speak, a orangish-red shade caught his attention from the corner of his eye, jerking his head to the right to see who it was.

"SATOSHI!"

The said teen jumped in utter surprise, eyes snapping wide and instantly losing its happy glaze as he turned to look at the enraged speaker, unconsciously hugging Shigeru closer. Yelping, Satoshi squeaked, "Wh-wh-what..?

Jerking an accusing finger in Satoshi's face, the tip just poking the raven haired teen on the nose, Kasumi warned threateningly, green eyes heated in determination, "Just remember, Satoshi! Just because you now have a child to take care of, doesn't mean you can forget about your responsibilities!"

"R-responsibilities..?" Satoshi repeated with a blink, a cocky, nervous smile pulling at his lips as his mind raced to try and catch up with the water pokémon trainer's words.

"That's right, Satoshi!" Kasumi huffed, placing her fisted hands on her hips as she seemed to tower over her travel companion, "You still owe me a bike, or did you already forget? I want it from _your_ pocket, too. Not Shigeru's! He's not the one who owes me a bike, so don't even _think_ of asking him for help!"

"Wha-"

"...You really owe her a bike?" Shigeru questioned calmly, milk chocolate eyes glancing at Satoshi then to Kasumi, and back to settle on the frazzled teen who's arms were still around his waist, even as he dropped his own hands to rest casually on Satoshi's shaking biceps. Whistling, rather impressed, Shigeru gave the other a teasing smirk, "Man, Satoshi. Bikes are really expensive, too."

"I know, I know!" Satoshi whined, suddenly burrowing his head into Shigeru's collar bone as if it would protect him from Kasumi's wrath. Mumbling, lips tickling Shigeru's skin, Satoshi confirmed, "I'll pay you back, already. Just... Give me some more time, okay?"

Kasumi gave a disbelieving huff, but conceded with a nod, crossing her arms over her chest as she warned, "Alright. But you better pay me back, Satoshi." A slow, cheshire cat like smile curled her lips as she hummed, "Or, should I call you Satoshi _Okido_ from now on?"

"Wh-WHAT?"

Sighing, Takeshi looked down at the egg pokémon he held, smiling down at it as it gave a loud chirpy 'piii~' of happiness. "Guess you're happy for them, too, huh, Togepi?" Takeshi mused, getting another happy responce as it waved its stubby arms and wiggled its feet gleefully.

_**tsuzuku...**_

**AUTHOR NOTE: **Sorry for the super late update! I had trouble with this chapter... The beginning part I typed up I wasn't too happy with, so I fixed it up, and then hit a writer's block before I could continue. That put the largest damper on continuing; however my roommates were up for watching my Indigo League boxsets of Pokémon, so when we got up to the episodes with Toru appearing, inspiration hit me again. Sadly, I wasn't near my computer to re-reading what I had originally written, so I just winged it and written up a part that could be attached to it-hopefully. After that, I hit another writer's block, but that one was a lot easier to overcome, which allowed me to finish this chapter. HOWEVER, the day I had finished it, when I returned home, my special friend who's name I won't reveal decided she had to force manga on me to read that weren't out here yet. And also forced me to work more on my own comics... So I never got time to type it up. Until now. Haha. Sorry again for the wait, though. I already have chapter 13 started, and I already like what I got down so far.

_**AND**_ if anyone is curious about the comics I make, I'll be putting up a link to my smackjeeves account on my main account here. I really need to work on finishing the Pokémon Book of Yaoi so my friend can get her Yuri side up. XD


End file.
